The use of selenium-enriched alga Scenedesmus quadricauda in a chicken diet.

The selenium-enriched Scenedesmus biomass of patented selenium-resistant strain SeIV was tested in a broiler chicken diet in comparison with sodium selenite supplementation. Feed conversion, mor - tality and live weight were not significantly influenced by the source of selenium. Supplementation of either form of selenium significantly increased the Se concentration in breast muscle with a more pronounced effect (P < 0.001) caused by selenium enriched Scenedesmus (635 μg/kg DM, 229 μg/kg DM in control). Breast meat of chickens fed a diet with sodium selenite or Se- Scenedesmus had a significantly ( P < 0.001) higher value of glutathione peroxidase activity (0.329 μmol/g, 0.361 μmol/g) compared to the basal diet (0.190 μmol/g). The inclusion of Se- Scenedesmus biomass in the diet enhanced ( P = 0.021) oxidative stability of meat expressed as reduced malondialdehyde in breast meat after 10-day cooler storage. Se-enriched Scenedesmus can be a good source of organic selenium for the production of Se-enriched chicken meat for further use in human diets. Furthermore, the Se-resistant strain SeIV was found advantageous for its fast and easy production of Se-enriched biomass.