Walnut dye

[smhjn17]

Is the walnut black pigment in unripe green walnuts due to melanin??

[John Cuthber]

At least part of the colour is this stuff

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juglone

[smhjn17]

Is there melanin as well?

[Essay]

Is the walnut black pigment in unripe green walnuts due to melanin??

 

It does not seem to be so. A simple internet search brought up this mention, "Average melatonin (MLT) content of walnuts is approximately 3.6 nanograms," which doesn't seem like a significant amount.

 

But notice the difference between melanin and melatonin. The internet mentions that walnuts contain minerals, which help the body produce its own melanin, but not that walnuts contain melanin themselves.

===

 

...just fyi:

Melatonin is a fairly small molecule, as are most hormones, formed as a derivative of the amino acid tryptophan; whereas melanin is a somewhat larger molecule, as are most pigments, formed as a modified polymer of the amino acid tyrosine (or other common plant/animal biomolecules).

 

...and hopefully there is no plan to consume anything you might extract.... Right?

 

~

[John Cuthber]

 

It does not seem to be so. A simple internet search brought up this mention, "Average melatonin (MLT) content of walnuts is approximately 3.6 nanograms," which doesn't seem like a significant amount.

 

But notice the difference between melanin and melatonin. The internet mentions that walnuts contain minerals, which help the body produce its own melanin, but not that walnuts contain melanin themselves.

===

 

...just fyi:

Melatonin is a fairly small molecule, as are most hormones, formed as a derivative of the amino acid tryptophan; whereas melanin is a somewhat larger molecule, as are most pigments, formed as a modified polymer of the amino acid tyrosine (or other common plant/animal biomolecules).

 

...and hopefully there is no plan to consume anything you might extract.... Right?

 

~

That whole post makes about as much sense as saying that walnuts don't contain melons.

It's not a matter of a different spelling; melatonin has little to do with melanin.

 

The answer to the questions is "it depends".

Whether or not the brown pigments produced by fruit turning brown are properly called "melanin" is a matter of opinion/ definition.

the brown pigments in plants have little or no nitrogen in them; so they are different from the ones produced in animals- for example as a sun tan.

http://www.hindawi.com/journals/njos/2014/498276/

 

Why do you ask?