Two Sides of Selenium: Occurrence and Determination of Selenium Forms in Food and Environmental Samples Using Analytical Methods
[ 1 ] Instytut Chemii i Elektrochemii Technicznej, Wydział Technologii Chemicznej, Politechnika Poznańska | [ P ] employee
2021
chapter in scholarly textbook
english
EN Historically, selenium has been considered a toxic element, suggesting its elimination from the diet. However, it has been recently discovered that it is a crucial trace element for human physiology, playing an important role in the metabolism, production of hormones, and functionality of the immune system. Among others, selenium has been found to exhibit protective effects in the etiology of cancer that are related to its activity against oxidative stress on cell membranes as well as the stabilizing effect on DNA and enhancing the cellular immune responses. Selenoproteins are involved in human metabolism, and so their deficiency causes degeneration of tissues and organs, resulting in an increased risk of various degenerative diseases. Bioavailability of selenium differs depending on the form it is supplied in, organic species being the ones that are absorbed to the highest extent in the human intestine. Therefore, a preferred supplementation method is through dietary routes, including the selenium-rich foods obtained through soil fertilization, livestock fodder fortification, or utilizing functional foods. This warrants an efficient analytical methodology for determining the selenium content and its chemical forms in the food products. The total, often trace amount of selenium, is usually determined by radiometric, electroanalytical, and spectroscopic methods. However, determining the speciations of selenium is an equally important task. Most analytical methods developed for selenium speciation analysis in food products focus on the determination of selenates(IV), selenates(VI), and selenoproteins. Among all the techniques used for selenium speciation analysis, liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry and excitation in inductively coupled plasma is undoubtedly characterized by the greatest analytical capabilities and the widest application.
03.02.2021
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