Selenium Contents of Common Cereal and Legume Staples in Central Nigeria

The selenium contents of three selected cereals (maize, millet and sorghum) and four selected legumes (soybeans, groundnuts, white and brown beans) grown and consumed in Central Nigeria was determined using hydride generation–atomic absorption spectrophotometry (HG–AAS). Results of the analysis showed that mean concentrations (µg/kg) of selenium in the cereals were 82.2 ± 27.7; 57.8 ± 12.2 and 38.6 ± 7.9 for maize, millet and sorghum, respectively. Similarly, analytical results showed that among the legumes, brown beans contained the highest mean selenium contents (82.5 ± 18.9 µg/kg), followed by ground nuts (66.5 ± 15.4 µg/kg); the contents in soybeans (35.7 ± 9.3 µg/kg) and white beans (34.7 ± 7.2 µg/kg) were comparable. The mean values for selenium contents obtained in this work are generally higher than literature values for similar foodstuff, most of the values lie within the limit referred to as lower and safe upper reference nutrient intake. The differences could be determined due to the total selenium concentration and its bioavailability in the soils on which these crops are grown. The trend of selenium contents in the cereal and legume staples was as follows: maize > brown beans > groundnuts > millet > sorghum > soybeans > white beans.