The pork meat enriched with organic selenium and its effect on selenium concentration and total antioxidant status in healthy volunteers

It is known that organic selenium (Sel Plex) supplemented to pig feed mixture is significant for effective transport of essential element selenium to the food chain. It enables to create important body deposits of selenium in skeletal muscles and it also increases selenium transfer in natural metabolic form of selenomethionine into functional food. The intake of feed mixture with increased organic selenium at the dose of 0.3 mg/kg probably increases selenium concentration in MSM (Musculus semimembranosus) - experimental selenium group 1.293 mg/kg and control group 0.513 mg/kg and in MLT (Musculus longissimus thoracis) - experimental selenium group 1.364 mg/kg and control group 0.506 mg/kg. The aim of this study was to evaluate the selenium and total antioxidant status (TAS) in a selected group of healthy people. Twenty-five volunteers consumed pork meat enriched with organic selenium three times a week during one month (average age in 9 men was 51.2 years, in 16 women 39.06 years, respectively). Daily selenium intake of 110 microg was calculated by Alimenta software, version 4.3 on the basis of nutrition statement. Recommended daily selenium intake of 50 – 200 microg was stated by the World Health Organization (WHO). During the research, the volunteers consumed pork enriched with 35 microg of selenium. At the begining the mean selenium concentration in blood serum was at 75.41 +/- 14.18microg/l in men, 75.21 +/- 15.20microg/l in women. After two weeks of consumption pork enriched with selenium, the average selenium concentration in blood serum in men and women increased to 86.69 +/- 11.72 microg/l and 87.93 +/- 16.22 microg/l respectively. At the end of the study the average selenium concentration decreased in men and women to 85.75 +/- 2.72 microg/l to 84.07 +/- 15.62 microg/l respectively. In the selected group of healthy people the total antioxidant status increased from 1,68 mmol/l to 1,86 mmol/l after two weeks of consumption of pork enriched with selenium. However, at the end of the research the decrease in TAS was recorded. Improvement in selenium status has positive impact on human health, and thus our results could contribute to the new trends in the production of functional food.