SELENIUM CONTENT OF BRAZIL NUTS FROM 2 GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS IN BRAZIL

Brazil nuts (Bertholletia excelsa) natively contain very high concentr ations of selenium. Since dietary selenium, including Brazil nuts, hav e been associated with protection against tumor development in laborat ory animal studies, it was of interest to determine the selenium conte nt of the nuts from different nut-growing regions of Brazil. In the wo rk reported, 162 nuts from each of two regions (Acre-Rondonia and Mana us-Belem) were individually analyzed for selenium. The average +/- sta ndard deviation and range of selenium concentrations in ppm, fresh wei ght for nuts from Acre-Rondonia and Manaus-Belem regions were, respect ively, 3.06 +/- 4.01 (0.03-31.7) and 36.0 +/- 50.0 (1.25-512.0). The t oxicology of Brazil nut consumption is discussed.