Nighttime milking produces milk with extra melatonin

A Munich, Germany company has been able to find a way to produce milk with a high level of melatonin after five years of research. The cows' night-time milking contains 100 times the melatonin as normal milk.

The cows for this research have been given special herbs in their diet and are given more time in the sun or natural light. They are only milked at night when the melatonin concentration of the milk is at its highest levels. Melatonin is one of the most important interceptors of free radicals. It is used to treat sleeping problems and jet lag. It also has properties that help with anti-aging and reducing blood pressure. The body's natural production of melatonin declines after the age of 25 resulting in the aging and the quality of sleep for some people. In Europe melatonin is only produced at the pharmaceutical level and can only be obtained by a prescription. A press release from Munich states, "We can get a high concentration naturally in night-time milk," says Tony Gnann, CEO of Milchkristalle GmbH in Munich. The melatonin is processed into milk crystals that can be stirred into milk prior to sleep. The company has patented their process of making the milk crystals. "The melatonin as contained in the natural matrix of night-time milk crystals is characterised by high bio-availability. So it can not only be absorbed easily but also used even in low physiological doses," explains scientist Dr. Heiko Dustmann, owner of the consultating group Innovationsberatung Weihenstephan.