Selenium Content of Seed Crops Consumed in Japan

抄録

Selenium contents in rice, wheat and soybean consumed in Japan were determined by a fluorometrical analysis. Brown rice samples, collected from various sites in Japan, showed a mean value of 0.04μg Se/g (n=69). Wheat and soybean samples, grown at various sites of Japan, also showed low selenium values. The mean values were 0.02 (wheat, n=5) and 0.03 (soybean, n=18) μg Se/g, respectively. High selenium values (0.03 to 1.15μg Se/g) were found in imported American or Canadian hard or durum wheats. Australian wheat showed moderate levels (0.05 to 0.13μg Se/g) of selenium, and American soft wheat showed the lowest levels (0.01 to 0.03 μg Se/g) of selenium. Selenium in commercial wheat products were also determined. The hard type of wheat flour, bread and Japanese spaghetti, produced from the American or Canadian hard or durum wheats, showed high selenium values (0.19 to 0.39μg Se/g). These results indicate that wheat products, produced from the imported American or Canadian hard or durum wheat, is one of the principal selenium source in Japanese diet.