Promising Use of Selenized Yeast to Develop New Enriched Food: Human Health Implications

Selenium is an essential micronutrient and has been shown to have an antioxidant effect. This can prevent different diseases such as coronary illness or cancer. Its deficiency generates neuromuscular disorders, which is why a recommended daily intake for humans of 55 μg/day has been proposed but it is not always covered. Selenium is integrated as selenoaminoacids to glutathione peroxidases, which are enzymes involved in redox reactions. Some yeast are capable of introducing inorganic selenium into the polypeptide chains of ribosome to later transform it into selenoaminoacids. In some cases, selenized yeasts are used as starter cultures in fermented foods processing. These yeasts are considered bioavailable selenium supplements and currently food science has developed strategies to include them within innovation processes of enriched products. Due to the importance of selenium in human health, the objective of this review is to present a state of the art of selenized foods, going through the importance of selenium in human health and the biochemical mechanism of biotransformation of inorganic selenium to organic species by yeasts.