Selenite and Selenium Yeast as Feed Supplements for Dairy Cows

• Published in: Journal of veterinary medicine. Series A Vol. 44; no. 1-10; pp. 373 - 380
• Main Authors: Ortman, K., Pehrson, B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.08.1997
• Subjects: Aging - metabolism; Aging - physiology; Animals; Biological Availability; Cattle - blood; Cattle - metabolism; Cattle - physiology; Diet - veterinary; Dietary Supplements; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Erythrocytes - enzymology; Female; Glutathione Peroxidase - blood; Kidney - chemistry; Liver - chemistry; Milk - chemistry; Muscle, Skeletal - chemistry; Myocardium - chemistry; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Selenium - analysis; Selenium - pharmacokinetics; Selenium - pharmacology; Sodium Selenite - analysis; Sodium Selenite - pharmacokinetics; Sodium Selenite - pharmacology
• ISSN: 0931-184X; 0514-7158; 1439-0442
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0442.1997.tb01121.x

Summary The availability of inorganic and organic forms of selenium to dairy cows was studied by giving 25 cows supplementary selenium for 9 months either as sodium selenite or as a selenium‐containing yeast product. Group I (eight cows) received 3.0 mg selenium as sodium selenite daily, group II (nine cows) received 3.0 mg selenium as the selenium yeast product, and group III (eight cows) received 0.75 mg selenium as the selenium yeast product. The total selenium contents of the ration were 0.26–0.32 mg/kg feed dry matter for groups I and II, and 0.16–0.18 mg/kg for group III. The supplement of 0.75 mg selenium daily from the yeast product maintained the selenium concentrations of whole blood and milk at the same levels as 3.0 mg selenium as sodium selenite, and 3.0 mg selenium from the yeast product increased the selenium concentration of whole blood by ≈40% and that of milk by ≈100%. The activity of glutathione peroxidase in erythrocytes of the group given selenite was not significantly different from that in either of the groups given the yeast product. The concentrations of selenium in the tissues of two cows from each group were marginal to adequate, and there was a trend for the concentrations to be higher in the tissues of the cows supplemented with the yeast product.