Selenium Speciation in Selenium-Enriched Plant Foods

Investigation of selenium and selenium species in Cardamine violifolia using in vitro digestion coupled with a Caco-2 cell monolayer model

Inadequate Se intake can enhance vulnerability to certain health risks, with supplementation lessening these risks. This study investigated the bioavailability of Se and Se species in five Se compounds and in Se-rich Cardamine violifolia using in vitro digestion coupled with a Caco-2 cell monolayer model, which enabled the study of Se transport and uptake. Translocation results showed that SeCys2 and MeSeCys had high translocation rates in C. violifolia leaves (CVLs). The uptake rate of organic Se increased with time, and MeSeCys exhibited a higher uptake rate than that for SeCys2 and SeMet. The translocation mechanisms of SeMet, Se(IV), and Se(VI) were passive transport, whereas those of SeCys2 and MeSeCys were active transport. The bioavailability of organic Se was higher than that of inorganic Se, with a total Se bioavailability in CVLs of 49.11 %. This study would provide a theoretical basis for the application of C. violifolia in the functional food.

Constructing network structures to enhance stability and target deposition of selenium nanoparticles via amphiphilic sodium alginate and alkyl glycosides

Dietary selenium (Se) supplementation has recently received increasing attention; however, Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) exhibit poor stability and tend to aggregate in aqueous solution. Therefore, enhancing the stability of SeNPs and their effective delivery to plants remain challenging. In this study, sodium alginate (SA) and lysozyme (LZ) were reacted via the wet-heat Maillard reaction (MR) to obtain amphiphilic alginate-based polymers (SA-LZ). Alkyl glycosides (APG) were introduced into SA-LZ to enhance the deposition of SeNPs in leaves. Thus, a renewable and degradable polysaccharide-based material (SA-LZ/APG) loaded with Se formed an amphiphilic alginate-based-based shell with a Se core. Notably, the encapsulation of SeNPs into a polysaccharide base (SA-LZ/APG) increased the stabilization of SeNPs and resulted in orange-red, zero-valent, monoclinic and spherical SeNPs with a mean diameter of approximately 43.0 nm. In addition, SA-LZ/APG-SeNPs reduced the interfacial tension of plant leaves and increased the Se content of plants compared to the blank group. In vitro studies have reported that SA-LZ/APG-SeNPs and SA-LZ-SeNPs have significantly better clearance of DDPH and ABTS than that of APG-SeNPs. Thus, we believe that SA-LZ/APG is a promising smart delivery system that can synergistically enhance the stability of SeNPs in aqueous solutions and improve the bioavailability of Se nutrient solutions.

Precise Determination of Selenium Forms and Contents in Selenium-Enriched Rapeseed Seedlings and Flowering Stalks by HPLC-ICP-MS

Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) has the ability of selenium (Se) enrichment. Identification of selenides in Se-rich rapeseed products will promote the development and utilization of high value. By optimizing the Se species extraction process (protease type, extraction reagent, enzyme sample ratio, extraction time, etc.) and chromatographic column, an efficient, stable, and accurate method was established for the identification of Se species and content in rapeseed seedlings and flowering stalks, which were cultured by inorganic Se hydroponics. Five Se compounds, including selenocystine (SeCys2), methylselenocysteine (MeSeCys), selenomethionine (SeMet), selenite (SeIV), and selenate (SeVI) were qualitatively and quantitatively identified. Organoselenium was absolutely dominant in both seedlings and flowering stalks among the detected rapeseed varieties, with 64.18-90.20% and 94.38-98.47%, respectively. Further, MeSeCys, a highly active selenide, predominated in rapeseed flowering stalks with a proportion of 56.36-72.93% and a content of 1707.3-5030.3 μg/kg. This study provides a new source of MeSeCys supplementation for human Se fortification.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of validated analytical techniques for the determination of total selenium in foods and beverages

The intricate balance between the beneficial and harmful effects of selenium (Se) intake means that its quantification in food needs to be done correctly. Therefore, in this review, we systematized 105 articles to identify the most studied methodologies, analytical techniques, and food matrices. Among the analytical techniques employed, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) (n = 29) emerged as the most commonly used method. The most prevalent hydrolysis methodology to digest Se in food matrices involved the use of nitric acid combined with ultrasound, which improved both the yield and digestion time. Optimal recovery values were achieved when total Se quantification accounted for the sum of Se(IV) and Se(VI) (94.4-99.4%) and for SeCys (88-96.5%). These findings are relevant for advancing methodological approaches, and their results emphasize the importance of developing alternative, faster, and lower-cost protocols for Se quantification in foods and beverages.

Effects of Different Drying Methods on the Selenium Bioaccessibility and Antioxidant Activity of Cardamine violifolia

Understanding the effects of drying on the selenium (Se) content and Se bioaccessibility of Se-rich plants is critical to dietary supplementation of Se. The effects of five common drying methods (far-infrared drying (FIRD), vacuum drying (VD), microwave vacuum drying (MVD), hot air drying (HD), and freeze vacuum drying (FD)) on the content and bioaccessibility of Se and Se species in Cardamine violifolia leaves (CVLs) were studied. The content of SeCys₂ in fresh CVLs was the highest (5060.50 μg/g of dry weight (DW)); after FIRD, it had the lowest selenium loss, with a loss rate of less than 19%. Among all of the drying processes, FD and VD samples had the lowest Se retention and bioaccessibility. FIRD, VD, and FD samples have similar effects on antioxidant activity.

Speciation of Selenium in Selenium-Enriched Foods by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Herein, a method was established for the speciation of six selenium species by high performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS/MS). The factors affecting separation were carefully investigated, including ionic strength, pH, and methanol content. Six species of selenium could be completely separated within 20 min, under the mobile phase of 25 mM citric acid in pH = 4.0 containing 2% methanol. The detection limits of selenite (Se(IV)), selenate (Se(VI)), selenomethionine (SeMet), selenocystine (SeCys2), methylselenocysteine (MeSeCys), and selenoethionine (SeEt) were 0.04, 0.02, 0.05, 0.02, 0.03, and 0.15 ng mL−1, respectively. To verify the practicality of this method, the analysis of selenium-enriched foods such as selenium-enriched spring water, selenium-enriched salts, and selenium-enriched tea were conducted, and recovery of 93.7–105% was achieved with RSD < 5%, revealing the high practical utility of the proposed method.