Nutritional Fortifier - Selenium-Enriched Yeast

In recent years, with the popularity of selenium-enriched products like "selenium-enriched rice," "selenium-enriched eggs," "selenium-enriched tea," and "high-selenium fruits" on the market, the relationship between selenium and human nutrition and health has garnered increasing attention.

The Importance of Selenium

Selenium is an essential trace element for the human body, playing a critical physiological role and closely linked to human health. Selenium helps prevent and inhibit tumors, delays aging, maintains normal cardiovascular function, and prevents conditions like arteriosclerosis and coronary heart disease. A deficiency in selenium can lead to diseases like Keshan disease and Kaschin-Beck disease and may also trigger cataracts, liver disease, and pancreatic disease, among others.

Why Supplement Selenium

The selenium content in natural foods is generally low. Fruits and vegetables contain relatively little selenium, while grains, seafood, and meats (especially organ meats) have higher levels, with pork kidneys containing the most.

However, relying solely on natural foods may not meet the body's normal selenium needs. Selenium availability is highly variable; plant-based foods depend on soil conditions, and although animal products, particularly fish, are rich in selenium, much of it is bound to mercury, making it unusable by the human body. Therefore, developing selenium-enriched foods is highly significant, and selenium-enriched yeast is the most effective and least harmful of all selenium supplements.

What is Selenium-Enriched Yeast?

According to GB 1903.21-2016 National Food Safety Standard for Food Nutritional Fortifier - Selenium-Enriched Yeast, this standard applies to food nutritional fortifiers made by inoculating non-genetically modified yeast strains into suitable fermentation nutrients. During fermentation, sodium selenite in the medium is converted into organic selenium, which is then isolated, dried, and used to produce selenium-enriched yeast.

Under GB14880-2012, selenium-enriched yeast is used as a nutritional fortifier in milk-based beverages. It has already been industrialized and is available as a commercial product. Expanding the use of selenium-enriched yeast to special dietary foods not only meets the needs of specific populations for the mineral selenium but also ensures greater safety.

Additionally, to meet the selenium needs of the general population and further improve safety, it is necessary to extend the use of selenium-enriched yeast to candies and solid drinks. This allows selenium to be added to a variety of food forms, improving the selenium deficiency situation in China. Applications of selenium-enriched yeast in certain foods are as follows:

Advantages of Selenium-Enriched Yeast

1. Low Toxicity of Organic Selenium in Selenium-Enriched Yeast

Toxicity tests have confirmed that selenium-enriched yeast is safe for consumption. Its acute and chronic toxicity is much lower than that of inorganic selenium, making it a non-toxic substance according to toxicity classification standards.

Inorganic selenium compounds (selenites) exhibit cytotoxic effects even at low concentrations (such as cell wall detachment, increased intracellular vacuoles, membrane rupture, cell necrosis, and acute dissolution) and also reduce DNA synthesis, blocking cell division. Moreover, they can cause DNA damage and cell death within hours by breaking DNA strands. Cell death from inorganic selenium mainly occurs through necrosis or acute dissolution, whereas organic selenium has a milder effect, inhibiting cell growth without causing significant morphological changes or DNA breakage at high concentrations.

2. High Bioavailability of Organic Selenium in Selenium-Enriched Yeast

Human and animal studies show that the bioavailability of selenium in selenium-enriched yeast is 1.5 to 2 times higher than that of inorganic selenium. Selenium-enriched yeast significantly increases blood selenium levels and retention in the body compared to sodium selenite.

3. Selenium-Enriched Yeast is a High-Quality Single-Cell Protein Source

Protein content in selenium-enriched yeast can reach over 60%. It is rich in proteins, carbohydrates, and 18 types of vitamins.

In addition to being a source of selenium, it also provides other beneficial nutrients, including B vitamins, which are present at higher levels than in regular foods. In contrast, other selenium source products, like selenoprotein, selenium-enriched mushroom powder, and L-selenomethylselenocysteine, mainly serve as selenium sources and contain fewer additional nutrients.

4. Selenium-Enriched Yeast Enhances the Functionality and Value of Foods

Selenium-enriched yeast improves the functionality and value of foods like candies, special dietary foods, and solid beverages. It also enhances selenium’s physiological activity and absorption, making it more efficiently utilized by the body.