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Selenium Content and Distribution of Human, Cow and Goat Milk¹

Department of Food Science and Division of Nutritional Sciences ^* School of Human Resources and Family Studies, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801

Studies were undertaken to compare the content and distribution of selenium in human, cow and goat milk. Selenium content of cow milk was found to be lower than that of either human or goat milk. Regardless of source, less than 3% of total milk selenium was associated with the lipid fraction. Selenium within the 120,000 x g supernatant accounted for 72, 62 and 30% of the total in cow, human and goat milk, respectively. Glutathione peroxidase occurred in all milk samples with goat > human > cow. Percent of total peroxidase activity associated with glutathione peroxidase was 29, 27 and 65 for human, cow and goat milk, respectively. Approximately 20–28% of the selenium in milk was removed by dialysis (molecular exclusion of 6–8 kDa). After gel chromatography, 8–12 selenoprotein fractions were detected in undialyzed skim milk from each species. Most of the glutathione peroxidase activity was found in the fractions corresponding to 170 and 96 kDa in milk from all species examined. The diameric form of glutathione peroxidase also appeared in dialyzed and undialyzed milk. Distinct differences in the content and distribution of selenoproteins among these species in fresh and dialyzed milk are discussed.

KEY WORDS: • selenium • glutathione peroxidase • milk • lactation

¹ Supported in part by National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Grant No. 18689 and the Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station.

² This work was completed while Dr. Bogdan Debski was a Visiting Professor at the University of Illinois and on leave from Warsaw Agricultural University, Animal Biochemistry Division, Warsaw, Poland.

³ Reprint requests should be directed to John A. Milner, University of Illinois, 455 Bevier Hall, 905 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL 61801.

Manuscript received 2 December 1986. Revision accepted 12 February 1987.