Determination of selenium in serum by FI-HG-AAS and calculation of dietary intake

A method was developed for the determination of selenium concentration in serum by flow injection-hydride generation-atomic absorption spectrometry (FI-HG-AAS) following microwave digestion of serum samples and reduction of selenate to selenite. The detection limit of the method was 0.3 microg Se/L and the characteristic concentration, corresponding to the 0.0044 absorbance signal, was 0.12 microg Se/L. The results from the analysis of two Seronorm standard reference materials showed good agreement with the certified values. The method was then used to analyze selenium in sera of Austrian and Slovenian people for the calculation of dietary intakes. The selenium concentrations in sera of mothers at delivery, their neonates, and the male and female adults were 71+/-14, 42+/-6, 75+/-21, and 65+/-16 microg/L for the Austrians and 62+/-15, 34+/-7, 70+/-12, and 66+/-15 microg/L for the Slovenians. The dietary intakes of selenium of the mothers and the male and the female adults were calculated as 52, 37, and 46 microg/d for the Austrians and 45, 38, and 32 microg/d for the Slovenians.