This section provides an overview of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) powder, covering its manufacturing processes and regulatory status, and applications in the food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical industries. Also, please check out the introduction to 5-hydroxytryptophan manufacturers, supply chain issues, 5-HTP suppliers, and 5-HTP powder prices. Sinofi can help you buy 5-hydroxytryptophan powder at bulk wholesale prices based on CAS 56-69-9.
Table of Contents
What is 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP)?
5-Hydroxytryptophan is a naturally occurring amino acid and the immediate metabolic precursor of the neurotransmitter serotonin. It is not one of the amino acids used to build proteins, and ordinary foods supply very little of it directly. 5-HTP is a specialty active ingredient rather than a bulk nutrient. It is dosed at milligram levels, it is chemically reactive, and its regulatory position differs considerably between markets. 5-Hydroxytryptophan is the racemic (DL) or stereochemically unspecified substance, not specifically the L-form. The L-isomer, the biologically relevant form and the one extracted from Griffonia, has CAS 4350-09-8. The hydroxyl group at the 5-position makes the indole ring electron-rich and therefore more easily oxidized. According to the FDA precision, 5-hydroxytryptophan is regulated as a food supplement in the United States.
Regulatory Status and Safety Considerations
5-Hydroxytryptophan has been evaluated by major regulatory bodies like EFSA, ECHACHEM, NIH ODS, EPA, Food Standards Agency, and Nursing and Health Professions. Purified 5-HTP is marketable as a supplement ingredient in the United States, but in the European Union, it is an unauthorized novel food. That single difference often decides which ingredient grade a project can use, so regulatory status should be confirmed before formulation work begins. In the European Union, Griffonia seeds and seed extracts containing up to 30% 5-HTP are not novel in food supplements. Isolated 5-HTP, whether synthesized or extracted above 30%, is a novel food without authorization. Purified 5-HTP cannot be used; standardized extracts of 30% or less are limited to food supplements. In the United States, 5-HTP is sold as a dietary supplement ingredient, and the FDA has not reviewed it for safety or efficacy.
Biological Role
5-HTP sits one step downstream of the slowest reaction in serotonin synthesis. Tryptophan hydroxylase, a biopterin-dependent enzyme, converts L-tryptophan to 5-HTP, and this step limits the overall rate of serotonin production. Aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase, assisted by vitamin B6, then converts 5-hydroxytryptophan rapidly to serotonin. According to Nature, 5-HTP supplementation affects social cognition at the neural and behavioral levels.
Dietary tryptophan must pass through the slow hydroxylation step, whereas supplemental 5-HTP enters the pathway directly after it. Two consequences matter for product design. First, 5-HTP crosses the blood–brain barrier, but serotonin does not, so 5-HTP is decarboxylated in the liver or gut, yielding serotonin that remains outside the brain. Second, excess 5-HTP is thought to be metabolized and excreted, particularly when given with vitamin B6, which is relevant when B6 is added as a companion nutrient. In pharmaceutical use, 5-HTP (as oxitriptan) is sometimes combined with a peripheral decarboxylase inhibitor such as carbidopa. That is a drug application and falls outside the scope of food and supplement formulation.
Natural Occurrence
Nearly all commercial 5-HTP is extracted from Griffonia simplicifolia seeds, much of it exported from Ghana and neighboring West African countries. The plant is a woody climbing shrub reaching about 3 m in height, with inflated black pods whose seeds contain substantial amounts of 5-HTP.
CAS No.: 56-69-9
According to the American Chemical Society, the CAS number of 5-hydroxytryptophan is 56-69-9.
Common Name: (±)-5-Hydroxytryptophan
Molecular Formula: C11H12N2O3
EC number: 200-284-8
Molecular Weight: 220.22 g/mol
Appearance: white crystalline powder
Melting Point: 298–300 °C, with decomposition
Food Chemicals Codex Listed: No
Other Names:
♦ 2-Amino-3-(5-hydroxy-1H-indol-3-yl)propanoicacid
♦ 5-Hydroxy-DL-tryptophan
♦ Tryptophan, 5-hydroxy-
♦ 2-Amino-3-(5-hydroxy-1H-indol-3-yl)propanoic acid
♦ 5-Hydroxytryptophan
♦ DL-Hydroxytryptophan
♦ DL-5-Hydroxytryptophan
♦ DL-5-HTP
♦ 5-Hydroxytryptophane
♦ 5-HTP
♦ (±)-5-Hydroxytryptophan
Bulk 5-Hydroxytryptophan Manufacturers
Bulk 5-hydroxytryptophan is manufactured mainly by European and Chinese extraction houses and fermentation companies. Top 5-hydroxytryptophan manufacturers, such as Linnea SA and Natrol, anchor the food- and pharmaceutical-grade segments. China was already the main manufacturing hub for purified 5-HTP by the early 2000s.
Sinofi is a bulk 5-hydroxytryptophan manufacturer in China, and we have a 2,500-square-meter manufacturing facility for 5-HTP powder production. We supply high-quality 5-hydroxytryptophan powder at bulk prices and serve food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical industries worldwide.
Manufacturing Process of 5-HTP Powder
Three production routes exist. They differ almost entirely in how the 5-hydroxyindole ring is obtained, and they converge as soon as the product is present in an aqueous stream.
Route 1: Extraction from Griffonia Simplicifolia
Extraction of Griffonia simplicifolia seed supplies the great majority of commercial 5-HTP, because the plant accumulates the free amino acid at percentage levels, and no chemistry is required to build the ring. The process is a classical aqueous extraction followed by ion-exchange capture.
Route 2: Total Chemical Synthesis
Total synthesis is well established but commercially marginal, because it must solve two problems the plant has already solved: installing the 5-hydroxy group on an oxidation-sensitive heterocycle, and delivering a single enantiomer. Both classical routes, therefore, start from 5-benzyloxyindole, in which the phenol is masked as its benzyl ether throughout.
Route 3: Microbial Fermentation
Fermentation removes the cost of tryptophan feedstock by producing the molecule from glucose, at the cost of a far greater metabolic engineering burden. The route runs the full aromatic amino acid pathway, from phosphoenolpyruvate and erythrose 4-phosphate through shikimate and chorismate to L-tryptophan, and then appends the hydroxylation module described above.
Bulk 5-Hydroxytryptophan Suppliers
Bulk supply of 5-HTP is fragmented yet concentrated, with Chinese manufacturers accounting for more than 42% of the volume. Top 5-hydroxytryptophan suppliers, such as Linnea SA and Natrol, provide botanical actives for export to the global market.
Sinofi is a bulk supplier of 5-hydroxytryptophan in China, and we have a 1,200-square-meter warehouse for high-quality 5-HTP powder. We sell different grades of 5-hydroxytryptophan at wholesale prices, serving end-users in the food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical industries.
Supply Chain of 5-Hydroxytryptophan Powder
The global 5-hydroxytryptophan supply chain rests on a single wild-harvested botanical, Griffonia simplicifolia, collected almost entirely in West and Central Africa and processed largely in Asia. This structure creates an unusual combination for a nutraceutical ingredient. Raw material is geographically concentrated, weather-dependent, and gathered by informal networks of rural collectors. Value, by contrast, is captured mainly at the extraction, finished-product, and branding stages outside Africa. West Africa exports an estimated 1,000–2,000 tonnes of seed per year, mostly to Chinese extractors, and North America absorbs roughly 48% of bulk 5-HTP. Three forces will shape the chain over the next several years: rising demand for mood, sleep, and appetite supplements; growing pressure on buyers to verify sustainable and traceable sourcing; and the slow emergence of biotechnological routes that could reduce dependence on wild seed. Buyers who secure access to multi-origin seed and rigorous impurity testing are best positioned to manage the associated risks.
Wholesale and Buy 5-Hydroxytryptophan in Bulk
Bulk buying 5-HTP powder lowers unit cost and secures continuity of supply, but only when the purchasing process controls quality as rigorously as it controls price. Supplement brands, contract manufacturers, and distributors typically purchase 5-hydroxytryptophan powder as a raw material by the kilogram rather than as finished goods.
Understanding 5-Hydroxytryptophan
Most commercial 5-HTP powder is extracted from the seeds of Griffonia simplicifolia. Seed supply is largely wild-harvested, so availability and price can vary with harvest conditions and export volumes. 5-Hydroxytryptophan buyers should therefore treat 5-HTP as a botanically dependent commodity rather than a fully synthetic chemical.
The material is offered in several grades, and the purchase order should state precisely which one is required:
- High-purity 5-HTP powder, typically 98% or higher by HPLC, is the standard grade for capsules and tablets where the label declares a milligram dose of 5-HTP.
- Standardized Griffonia simplicifolia seed extract contains a lower, specified percentage of 5-HTP and is used where a botanical extract is declared on the label.
The naturally derived material is the L-form. Buyers should confirm the stereochemical form and the production route, because both affect the impurity profile, the label declaration, and the applicable regulatory status.
Selecting and Qualifying Suppliers
The most dependable bulk supply comes from a qualified manufacturer or from a distributor that discloses the manufacturer and maintains full traceability. A sound qualification process typically includes the following stages:
Supplier Questionnaire
Request company details, the manufacturing site address, the production route, the source of the seed raw material, and the quality certifications held.
Document Review
Examine certifications such as cGMP, ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, or HACCP, together with any kosher, halal, or organic certificates the product line requires.
Sample Evaluation
Test 5-HTP samples from several production lots, rather than a single pre-shipment sample, against the buyer’s specification in an independent laboratory.
5-HTP buyers should also insist that the assay be performed by HPLC. Non-specific methods, such as UV spectrophotometry, can overstate 5-HTP content and fail to detect adulteration or substitution. Each shipment should arrive with, or be preceded by, the following documents:
- A certificate of analysis with batch-specific results, test methods, and an authorized signature.
- The current product specification and a safety data sheet.
- A statement of botanical source and country of origin.
- Allergen, GMO, irradiation, and ethylene oxide statements, as required by the buyer’s markets.
As a bulk 5-hydroxytryptophan manufacturer and supplier in China, we wholesale this ingredient to end users in the food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical industries. We also supply high-quality 5-HTP powder for sale. Normally, small customers want to buy 5-hydroxytryptophan powder in small quantities. To serve them, we can sell 5-HTP at bulk prices and provide a one-stop purchasing service.
5-Hydroxytryptophan Prices (USD/Kg)
Food Grade 5-HTP Powder Prices (HPLC Content >=99.0%)
| Volume | Unit Price | Shipment |
| 50g | 17 USD | Express |
| 500g | 85 USD | Express |
| 1Kg | 120 USD/Kg | Express |
| 25Kg | 86 USD/Kg | Express |
| 100Kg | >=30% cheaper | Express / Sea |
| 200Kg-Above | negotiable | Express / Sea |
Bulk 5-HTP prices with the purity of 98%–99% are currently recorded at roughly USD 100-150/kg FOB, well below the USD 400-1,000/kg range cited in the mid-2010s. But the market has no transparent benchmark, prices remain exposed to a single wild-harvested West African seed source, and U.S. tariff layers and EU novel-food rules now shape delivered cost and market access more than the underlying commodity price does. Tridge-recorded Chinese export transactions of 5-hydroxytryptophan powder averaged roughly USD 111–118/kg between October 2025 and January 2026. The base case for 2026–2028 is range-bound FOB pricing with upside risk from harvest failures and U.S. tariffs, and downside pressure from maturing fermentation routes.
Furthermore, the above 5-HTP price quotations do not include the express fee. The reason is that the shipment cost may exceed the sample value of 5-hydroxytryptophan. However, the bulk wholesale prices of 5-HTP powder will be much lower than those of small orders. Please contact us for more details.
5-Hydroxytryptophan Specification
| Appearance | White to off-white crystalline powder |
| Solubility (10 mg/mL) | Clear and transparent; no obvious undissolved matter. |
| Particle Size | 98% pass 80 mesh |
| Purity (HPLC, %) | >=99.0 |
| Total Impurities (%) | <=0.3 |
| Peak X | Not Detected |
| Loss on Drying (%) | <=0.5 |
| Residue on Ignition (%) | <=0.3 |
| pH (1% solution) | 4.0-6.0 |
| DBP (ppm) | <=0.3 |
| Heavy Metals (as Pb, ppm) | <=10 |
| Lead (ppm) | <=0.5 |
| Arsenic (ppm) | <=0.5 |
| Cadmium (ppm) | <=0.1 |
| Mercury (ppm) | <=0.1 |
| Naturalness (%) | 100 |
5-Hydroxytryptophan Uses
5-Hydroxytryptophan is a compound the body uses to make serotonin, and it is sold as a dietary supplement for mood, sleep, appetite control, and chronic pain. The principal formats are capsules and tablets, followed by chewables and gummies, powder sachets, and oral sprays.
Depression and Mood
Depression is the most widely studied use of 5-HTP powder, but the evidence remains too weak to support it as a substitute for established treatment.
Sleep
5-HTP is widely marketed as a sleep aid because serotonin is the raw material for melatonin, yet direct evidence in adults with insomnia is sparse. In that 2004 Italian trial, 31 of 45 children received 5-HTP at bedtime for 20 days, and 29 of the 31 improved within one month. Six months later, most treated children remained free of episodes, whereas most untreated children did not (Bruni et al., 2004). This result is encouraging.
Appetite and Weight Management
Small controlled trials suggest that 5-HTP powder can reduce appetite and food intake in adults with obesity. Serotonin contributes to feelings of fullness, which provides a plausible mechanism for this effect.
5-Hydroxytryptophan Benefits
5-HTP is a biologically plausible supplement with modest supporting evidence for mood, appetite control, and fibromyalgia symptoms. Given serotonin’s role in emotional regulation, 5-HTP powder has been proposed for anxiety.
A Nutritional Composition for Relieving Sleep Disorders Using 5-HTP
Include the following ingredients (total 100 parts, by weight):
(I) Active Components (58)
Nervonic acid: 15;
Flaxseed oil: 12;
Walnut oil: 10;
Sapindus mukorossi oil: 10;
Perilla seed oil: 10;
γ-Aminobutyric acid: 12;
5-Hydroxytryptophan: 10;
Theanine: 8;
Apigenin: 6;
Fucoxanthin: 5.
(II) Synergistic Components (38.005)
Phosphatidylserine: 12;
Phosphatidylcholine: 8;
Coenzyme Q10: 6;
Vitamin B6: 3;
Vitamin B12: 0.005;
α-linolenic acid: 5.
(III) Natural Slow-Release Carriers (30)
Pectin: 8;
Gum Arabic: 6;
Enzymatically Hydrolyzed Corn Starch: 5;
Methylcellulose: 5;
Sodium Alginate: 3;
Chitosan: 3.
(IV) Natural Functional Excipients (18.5)
Maltodextrin: 6;
Magnesium Stearate: 3;
Rebaudioside M: 2;
Natural Lemon Oil: 0.5;
Ultrafine Corn Starch: 0.8.
In conclusion, 5-hydroxytryptophan is a small molecule with demanding formulation requirements. As a bulk 5-HTP manufacturer and supplier in China, we sell various grades of 5-hydroxytryptophan powder at wholesale prices to clients worldwide.