Determination of selenium daily intakes in two small groups of the Portuguese population by replicate sample neutron activation analysis

Selenium daily intake was determined for two small groups of the Portuguese population, based on the analysis of duplicate diet portions. The total amount of food ingested during a day was collected for 18 workers of the Technological and Nuclear Institute (ITN-Sacavém) and for 6 females of Reguengos de Monsaraz, a small town in the south-eastern hinterland. The average selenium daily intake was 43 ± 20 and 32 ± 13 μg per person, respectively, both lower than the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of 55 μg day⁻¹. Selenium in diet samples was determined by replicate sample neutron activation analysis (RSINAA). The method was considered accurate for the selenium determination.