Ingredient profile
Malate and Alpha-Ketoglutarate: The Partners in Two Melonex Salts
Alpha-ketoglutarate and malate are the two partner molecules on the Melonex label. Malate is bound to citrulline, and alpha-ketoglutarate is paired with arginine, so each amino acid can be packed as a stable powder. They add weight to the 500 mg blend, but no blood pressure trial tested them, and the label hides their amounts.
Written by the Melonexcare editorsUpdated
No. 01The partners
What are malate and alpha-ketoglutarate in Melonex?
Malate and alpha-ketoglutarate are partner molecules that travel with an amino acid. On the Melonex label, malate rides with citrulline and alpha-ketoglutarate rides with arginine.
Read the blend line again and you will spot them: “L-Citrulline DL-Malate” and “L-Arginine (Alpha-Ketoglutarate dihydrate)”. The third line, L-arginine HCL, has a different partner, hydrochloric acid, which is a story for the arginine HCl page.
Think of each partner as the box the amino acid is shipped in. Plain amino acids can be hard to handle as a powder. Bound to a second molecule, they become steadier and easier to put in a capsule.
Malate with citrulline
Malate comes from malic acid, the tart acid in apples. The label says “DL”, which means a mix of the two mirror-image forms.
Alpha-ketoglutarate with arginine
Often shortened to AKG. The label adds “dihydrate”, a note that two water molecules are built into the crystal.
No. 02Salt forms
What are salt forms of amino acids, and why use them?
A salt form of an amino acid is the amino acid joined to a partner so it can be sold as a steady powder. The partner counts toward the weight on the label, but it is not the amino acid.
This is the part most buyers miss. When a label says 500 mg, that is the weight of the whole salt, partner included. The free amino acid is only a share of it.
The NIH fact sheet gives one clean example: citrulline malate is 56.64% citrulline by weight, so 1 g of the salt gives 566 mg of citrulline (NIH ODS, arginine and citrulline). The other 43% is malate.
| Step | Worked out | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Most the first line can weigh | Place 1 of 3 in a 500 mg blend | At most 500 mg of the citrulline malate salt |
| Citrulline share of that salt | 56.64% by weight (NIH ODS, arginine and citrulline) | At most about 283 mg of citrulline |
| At the label's 2-capsule maximum | Double the capsule | At most about 566 mg of citrulline |
| Trial doses of citrulline | 8 small trials (Barkhidarian 2019, citrulline and BP) | 3,000 to 9,000 mg a day |
The 283 mg figure is our own arithmetic, a ceiling and not an amount. The partner share for the arginine lines is not given in our sources, so we do not guess it.
No. 03Malate
What does malic acid malate do in a supplement?
Malate is the partner that keeps citrulline stable in the first Melonex line. No source we read shows it doing a job of its own at this size.
Malic acid is a normal food acid, and malate is its salt-forming version. In the body it is one small step in energy production. Eating it in a capsule does not mean your cells make more energy or that anything changes for your heart.
The studies on citrulline and blood pressure used citrulline in grams, and the trials of citrulline malate we can cite were about exercise, not blood pressure. The NIH sheet says research on citrulline malate for performance “does not provide strong support” and that its safety has not been adequately assessed (NIH ODS, arginine and citrulline).
- Malate adds weight to the blend, which uses up some of the 500 mg.
- It is the reason the first line is a salt, not a pure amino acid.
- No source we read gives a safe or useful dose of malate alone.
No. 04Alpha-ketoglutarate
What does alpha-ketoglutarate do, and does it help when swallowed?
Alpha-ketoglutarate is a chemical the body already makes. The evidence for it comes mostly from hospital use by IV or in dialysis, not from capsules by mouth.
RxList rates AKG as possibly effective only for uses given by IV or in dialysis, such as around heart surgery. For athletic performance and other uses by mouth, it says the evidence is insufficient (RxList, alpha-ketoglutarate).
The same entry says AKG is possibly safe for most adults, advises avoiding it in pregnancy and breast-feeding because the facts are thin, and states that no oral dose has been established (RxList, alpha-ketoglutarate).
That last line matters for you. If no one has set an oral dose for AKG, then nobody can tell you what part of a Melonex capsule is a useful amount. The partner may simply be along for the ride.
Hospital findings about AKG given by IV do not carry over to a capsule you swallow with breakfast. We found no trial of Melonex or of its AKG salt for blood pressure.
No. 05Why it matters
Do the partners change what the research says about Melonex?
No. The blood pressure trials tested the free amino acids in grams, so the partners add no proof, and they take up room in a capsule that is small to begin with.
In 8 small trials of citrulline, people took 3 to 9 g a day for 1 to 17 weeks, and systolic pressure was about 4.1 mm Hg lower on average (Barkhidarian 2019, citrulline and BP). In 11 trials of arginine, with 387 people, the dose was 4 to 24 g a day and systolic pressure was about 5.4 mm Hg lower (Dong 2011, arginine and BP).
A whole Melonex capsule weighs 500 mg for the entire blend. Part of every salt is the partner. So the amino acid left over is a small fraction of what those trials used, and no trial tested Melonex itself.
Do not stop or change a blood pressure or heart medicine because of anything on a supplement label. Arginine and citrulline may add to some of those medicines, so ask your pharmacist before you start (Mayo Clinic, L-arginine) (RxList, L-citrulline).
No. 06On the bottle
Where do you see the partners on the label?
They sit inside the blend line of the Supplement Facts panel. The three front stamps are brand wording, not test results about either partner.
Ask yourself one question when you hold the bottle: which words are facts and which are marketing? The blend line is a fact, a list of what is inside. The stamps are marketing, and they carry an asterisk that points to the FDA statement.
The three stamps
The front says “Heart Support*”, “Circulation Support*” and “Natural Formula*”. None of these is a test of malate or AKG. “*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.”
No. 07Safety
Is it safe to take malate and alpha-ketoglutarate?
Sources call alpha-ketoglutarate possibly safe for most adults and citrulline possibly safe when used appropriately. Neither source speaks for this blend, and pregnancy is the main gap.
RxList advises avoiding both citrulline and AKG during pregnancy and breast-feeding, because reliable information is missing (RxList, L-citrulline) (RxList, alpha-ketoglutarate). The Melonex label itself asks pregnant or nursing mothers, anyone under 18 and anyone with a known medical condition to talk to a physician first.
The cautions that matter most come from the amino acids, not the partners. Citrulline must not be combined with nitrates or sildenafil-type drugs (RxList, L-citrulline). Arginine is not recommended after a recent heart attack (Mayo Clinic, L-arginine). Both are covered on the side effects page.
Tell your doctor about every supplement you take, since natural does not always mean safe (NCCIH, Using supplements wisely).
No. 08All profiles
Where are the other ingredient profiles?
Five profile pages cover every line on the Melonex label, from the three amino acid salts to the capsule shell.
The packs and prices are on the pricing page. The seller's refund terms, including the sealed-bottle rule and the 20% restocking fee, are on the refund policy page.
No. 09FAQ
Malate and alpha-ketoglutarate questions
What is alpha-ketoglutarate in a supplement?
Alpha-ketoglutarate, or AKG, is a chemical the body already makes. In Melonex it is the partner of L-arginine, so the arginine can be packed as a stable powder. Sources rate its oral uses as having insufficient evidence, and no oral dose has been established (RxList, alpha-ketoglutarate).
Is malic acid the same as malate?
Nearly. Malic acid is the food acid found in apples, and malate is its salt-forming form. On the Melonex label it is paired with L-citrulline as “DL-Malate”, a mix of two mirror-image forms. It adds weight to the blend but is not the active ingredient.
What is a salt form of an amino acid?
It is an amino acid joined to a partner molecule, which makes a steadier powder. The label weight counts both parts. Citrulline malate, for example, is 56.64% citrulline by weight, so the free amino acid is less than the number printed (NIH ODS, arginine and citrulline).
Does the malate in Melonex give you energy?
No source we read says it does at this size. Malate is part of the body's own energy chain, but a few hundred milligrams in a capsule is a packing partner, not a proven boost. The research on citrulline malate for exercise is described as not strongly supportive (NIH ODS, arginine and citrulline).
How much alpha-ketoglutarate is in one Melonex capsule?
The label does not say. Because the blend is listed by weight, the second line can hold at most 250 mg of the arginine salt per capsule (21 CFR 101.36). Split evenly, each would be about 167 mg. No oral AKG dose has been established (RxList, alpha-ketoglutarate).
Can you take alpha-ketoglutarate when pregnant?
Ask your physician first. The Melonex label asks pregnant or nursing mothers to do so, and RxList advises avoiding AKG in pregnancy and breast-feeding because reliable information is missing (RxList, alpha-ketoglutarate). Do not start the capsules without that talk.
No. 10Who wrote this
Written and reviewed by
Pages built from the bottle label, the seller’s order page and linked NIH, FDA, CDC, AHA, FTC and peer-reviewed sources.
Last updated . Learn about our editorial standards and how we check reviews. This website is run by Melonexcare, which describes itself as an authorized American Melonex outlet. It is not the manufacturer or the label’s distributor. Buying through our order links earns us money.
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