Vitamin E and selenium concentrations in milk and milkfractions.

Cow's milk of different lactation stages and of different seasons was analysed for its vitamin E and selenium contents. The concentrations of these nutrients vary with the lactation stage as well as with the sampling period. The results are compared with corresponding values for human milk. Cow's milk has appreciatly lower concentrations of vitamin E; the selenium content of cow's and human milk are the same. The lack of vitamin E when cow's milk is used for infant formulae is compensated for the addition of alpha-tocopheryl acetate. The selenium concentration of different protein fractions of cow's milk was determined. It was found that the whey proteins contain more selenium than the caseins.