Selenium composition of cereal-containing infant formulas: assessment of dietary intake status.

The selenium (Se) content of 11 infant formulas had been determined using electrothermal and hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry. The Se content ranged between 0.43 and 17.17 microg/100 g powder infant formulas with wide variations reaching 40.36-fold excess between the poorest RIRI-1 (0.43 microg/100 g) and Milupa-2 (17.2 microg/100 g powder). After reconstituting with water, the adequacies of the 11 studied infant formulas were evaluated with respect to Se supply. Based on the daily adequate intakes (AIs) of 15 and 20 microg Se for children 4-6 and 7-12 months old, respectively, four analyzed infant formulas were found to contain adequate Se content (>75% of the AIs), whereas the other seven formulas could satisfy 63% or less. In conclusion, the national regulation for the trace element (Se) contents in the infant formulas is highly warranted.