What is Nutritional Enrichment Selenium Enriched Yeast?

In recent years, a series of selenium-enriched agricultural products and selenium-containing health products have been selling well in the market, such as selenium-enriched rice, selenium-enriched eggs, selenium-enriched teas, and selenium-enriched fruits. selenium-enriched rice, selenium-enriched eggs, selenium-enriched tea, selenium-enriched fruits, etc. With a series of selenium-enriched agricultural products and selenium-containing health care products selling well in the market, the relationship between selenium and human nutrition and health has gradually become a concern for everyone.

Importance of Selenium

Selenium is an essential trace element that has important physiological functions and is closely related to human health. Selenium can prevent and inhibit tumors, anti-aging, maintain the normal function of the cardiovascular system, and prevent the emergence of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Selenium deficiency can lead to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and large bone disease, and also induce cataracts, liver disease and pancreatic disease and so on.

Why Selenium Supplement

Natural foods are generally low in selenium. Fruits and vegetables are generally low in selenium, while grains, marine animals, and meats (especially offal) have slightly higher levels, with pig kidneys having the highest levels.

However, selenium from natural foods alone does not meet the body’s normal needs. Since the source of selenium is very unstable, the selenium content in plant foods is swayed by soil conditions, while animal foods, especially fish, are rich in selenium, however, most of it exists in the form of combination with mercury, which can not be utilized by human beings, and thus the development of selenium-containing food products is of great significance. Selenium-enriched yeast is the most effective of all selenium supplements with the least side effects.

What is selenium-enriched yeast

GB 1903.21-2016 National Standard for Food Safety Food Nutritional Enrichment Selenium Enriched Yeast: This standard applies to food nutritional enrichment selenium-enriched yeast produced by inoculating yeast strains not genetically modified with suitable nutrients for fermentation, converting sodium selenite contained in the medium to organic selenium by fermentation, and then separating and drying the selenium-enriched yeast.

In the existing GB14880-2012, selenium-enriched yeast is used as a nutrient fortifier in milk beverages. Selenium-enriched yeast has been industrially produced and entered the practical stage, and commercialized products are available in the market. Therefore, expanding the use of selenium-enriched yeast food fortification to foods for special dietary use not only meets the demand for mineral selenium of special populations, but also ensures greater safety.

In addition, in order to meet the demand for mineral selenium of the general population and bring more safety guarantee, it is necessary to expand the use of selenium-enriched yeast food fortification to confectionery and solid beverages, so as to fortify selenium in a variety of food forms and better improve the selenium deficiency situation in China. The applications of selenium-enriched yeast in some food products are as follows:

Advantages of Selenium Enriched Yeast

1. Selenium-enriched yeast has low toxicity of organic selenium
It is confirmed by toxicity test that selenium-enriched yeast is safe to consume, its acute and chronic toxicity is much lower than inorganic selenium, and it belongs to non-toxic substance according to toxicity grading standard.

Inorganic selenium (selenite) at low concentrations is mainly manifested as cytotoxic effects (such as cell dehiscence, increase in intracellular vacuoles, cell membrane rupture, cell necrosis and acute lysis), accompanied by a reduction in DNA synthesis and blockage of DNA synthesis in cell division. In addition, it can cause DNA damage and cell death, causing DNA single-strand breaks within a few hours of action. It causes cell death mainly in the form of necrosis or acute lysis, while organic selenium acts in a different way, they are in high concentrations on the cell morphology of the change is not large, the cell growth has an inhibitory effect but more moderate, generally does not cause DNA breaks.

2.High bioavailability of organic selenium in selenium-enriched yeasts
The results of human and animal tests show that the bioavailability of selenium in selenium-enriched yeast is 1.5-2 times higher than that of inorganic selenium in selenium-enriched yeast. Selenium-enriched yeast is significantly higher than sodium selenite in raising the blood selenium level of the organism and the amount retained in the organism.

3. Selenium-enriched yeast is a source of high-quality single-cell protein.
The protein content can be up to 60% or more, which itself is rich in protein, sugar and 18 kinds of vitamins.

In addition to being used as a selenium source, it also provides other beneficial nutrients at the same time. Provides rich B vitamins and generally higher vitamin content than ordinary food. While selenoprotein, selenium-enriched edible mushroom powder, L-selenium-methyl selenocysteine and other other selenium source products with the same function can only be used as a selenium source, and the content of other beneficial nutrients is low.

4. Selenium-enriched yeast improves the functionality and value of food.
Selenium-enriched yeast improves the functionality and value of confectionery, food for special dietary use, solid beverage food, and also improves the physiological activity and absorption rate of selenium, which is more conducive to the absorption and utilization of selenium.