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8428376 
Journal Article 
Toxicity of Selenium in Brazil Nuts to Rats 
Palmer, IS; Herr, A; Nelson, T 
1982 
Yes 
Journal of Food Science
ISSN: 0022-1147
EISSN: 1750-3841 
INST FOOD TECHNOLOGISTS 
CHICAGO 
47 
5 
1595-1597 
English 
WOS:A1982PG58400056 
Nuts from Bertholletia excelsa, commonly known as Brazil nuts, were analyzed for selenium. Of 529 nuts from one commercial source, 6% were found to contain 100 ppm selenium or more. The mean value for all nuts was 29.6 ppm and the median value was 13.4 ppm. Hexane extracted high‐selenium Brazil nut meal in a corn‐based diet fed to rats produced toxicity similar to that obtained from seleniferous corn, selenomethionine or sodium selenite as assessed by weight gain, visually scored liver damage, and liver, kidney, and spleen weights. Selenium contents of liver, kidney, spleen, and blood were also determined. It is suggested that the selenium in Brazil nuts is as biologically potent as that from other sources. Copyright © 1982, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved