Selenium retention in tissues of swine fed carcasses of pigs grown on diets containing sodium selenite or high selenium white sweet clover grown on fly ash

Abstract

Growing pigs were fed diets containing 5 or 10% white sweet clover, and 0, 3.5 or 7.0 ppm selenium (Se) supplied as sodium selenite (Na2SeO3) or occurring naturally in white sweet clover harvested from a coal fly ash dump. Ground carcasses of these pigs were included in corn meal diets at 23% and fed back to pigs. Compared to the pigs fed the high Se, fly ash-grown clover diets, the pigs fed Na2SeO3 diets had higher blood Se levels but lower Se concentrations in kidney, liver and skeletal muscle. Tissues of the pigs which were fed carcasses of the high Se clover-fed pigs had higher Se concentrations than those of the pigs fed carcasses of the Na2SeO3 - fed pigs.