Determination of selenium content in selected Pakistani foods

Owing to increased concern in a number of diseases associated with low-selenium (Se) foods, the estimation of total Se content (TSC) is the focus of research these days. TSC was determined in fruits, vegetables, meat, milk, poultry, fish and cereals. Hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometric method was employed using the wet digestion method. Different certified reference materials were used for the validation of the method. The lowest Se content was found in plant-based foods, whereas the highest was in fish and appreciable in other animal-based foods. The data was compared with TSC data from other countries. TSC in Pakistani foods was comparable with other countries, with few exceptions. This report may serve as a database for TSC in Pakistani foods.