Inorganic and Organic Selenium Speciation of Seleno-Yeasts Used as Feed Additives: New Insights from Elemental Selenium Determination

Seleno-Yeasts (SY) used as feed additives are known to contain different Selenium (Se) species. Seleno-Yeasts has been shown, on previous analytical methods, to contain selenomethionine (SeMet), selenocysteine (SeCys), selenate (Se(IV)) and selenite (Se(VI)), and various other organic and inorganic Se forms identified but rarely quantified. A new advanced method has allowed elemental Se (Se(0)), an inorganic Se species, to be quantified, thereby obtaining better insight into the proportion of inorganic Se in SY products. The study aimed to quantify the Se(0) in SY products and assess the proportion of inorganic Se in SY. The Se speciation of 13 fresh commercials SY from different suppliers and batches, was assayed for the total Se, inorganic Se species (Se(IV), Se(VI) and Se(0)), and organic Se species (SeMet and SeCys). Results on total Se were in line with the expected Se concentrations for all evaluated samples. The proportion of Se present as Se(0) ranged from 3.6% to 51.8%. The quantity of Se(0) in the SY products, added to Se(IV) and Se(VI), indicated an average proportion of inorganic Se of 14.2% for the 13 analyzed SY products. The proportion of Se as SeMet ranged from 19.0% to 71.8%, (average of 55.8%), and a large variability in the SeMet content was observed. The SeCys content was also variable, with an average of 3.8%, relative to the total Se. In conclusion, advances in the analytical characterization have revealed that SY products can have a significantly high proportion of inorganic Se, which could affect the bioavailability of Se from SY supplements and explain their variable and lower bio-efficacy than pure SeMet supplements, such as hydroxy-selenomethionine.