Abstract

Selenium exists in various forms of chemical species. The activity and bioavailability is strongly dependent on its chemical form and concentration. Consequently the information on each selenium species and its concentration must be exactly determined for the food we take in. In this study, selenium species in seafood were separated and quantified by RP (reversed phase) HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) coupled with ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) using post-column isotope dilution. 79Br, which interferes on 80Se, has mostly been removed by solid phase extraction and then mathematical correction has been applied for the more accurate correction. The experimental result for CRM (certified reference material)DOLT-4 agreed well with the certified value but each selenium species could not be compared. SeCys (selenocysteine) and SeMet (selenomethionine) were the major species detected in seafood such as belt fish,spanish mackerel, and squid that have been serving as Korean diet. The concentrations found in Korean sea food for SeCys and SeMet were in the range of 0-661.6 mg/kg and 137.3-462.7 mg/kg, respectively.