Selenium is one of the essential microelements in the nutrition of domestic animals. It belongs to important antioxidants, which means that it is protecting animals against oxidative stress and this also against diseases that involve oxidative stress and protects animal products against oxidative deterioration. Selenium has a positive effect on animal health and their productional characteristics. Selenium deficiency reduces productional parameters such as milk yield, growth, and laying performance. In case of severe selenium deficiency or toxicity the weight loss, severe health problems, reproduction disorders and death are observed in all animal species. The main source of selenium in animal nutrition are feed plants. Concentrations of selenium in plants depend on the soil selenium content. Due to poor selenium soil content in many areas animals have to be supplemented with selenium containing feed additives. Low selenium intake is observed also in humans. The content of selenium in animal products depends on the selenium intake. One of the possibilities to improve selenium status in humans are also animal products with increase selenium content. That is possible to achieve by feeding animals with appropriate selenium supplemented diets. That might have a positive effect of the technological parameters of animal derived foods also.
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