Effect of selenate as a feed supplement to dairy cows in comparison to selenite and selenium yeast

The main aim of this trial was to define the possible differences between selenite and selenate in their ability to increase the selenium (Se) concentration of milk, in comparison with organic Se. Dairy cows (n = 42) were fed a basal diet containing .10 to .12 mg Se/kg DM for 5 mo and were then divided into four groups of 10 or 11, as similar as possible in age and stage of lactation. During the next 84 d, the cows in three of the groups were supplemented with 3 mg of Se daily, whereas the cows in one control group remained unsupplemented. The Se supplement was given as sodium selenite, sodium selenate, or a Se yeast product. The total Se concentration of the diets varied with the cows' stage of lactation and was for the supplemented groups .24 to .31 mg/kg DM, but remained between .10 and .12 mg/kg in the control group. At the end of the trial, the mean whole blood Se concentrations in the selenite, selenate, yeast, and control groups were 138, 141, 165, and 104 microg/L, respectively. The Se concentration in plasma apparently reached a plateau level within 4 wk, at approximately 75 microg/L in the selenite group, 80 microg/L in the selenate group, and 90 microg/L in the yeast group. In the control group the mean concentration in plasma remained at approximately 50 microg/L. The increase of the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the erythrocytes was significantly higher in the supplemented groups than in the control group. The mean concentrations of Se in milk in the selenite, selenate, and yeast groups were 16.4, 16.4, and 31.2 microg/L, respectively, whereas the concentration remained at approximately 14 microg/L in the control group. The milk Se concentration reached a plateau within 1 wk after the start of Se supplementation. Dietary supplementation with selenite and selenate, thus, had only a limited effect on the Se concentration in milk, and there was no significant difference between the two inorganic compounds in any variable measured. Organic Se was much more effective than inorganic Se in increasing the concentration of Se in milk.