DUE TO the low mineral levels in Mongolia’s soil, many of the Eastern Asian country's population have micronutrient deficiencies in their diets that can cause health problems at all stages of life.

One of the most critical of these deficiencies is related to selenium, which the local health authorities have identified as a serious health threat – so much so that there is now work afoot to increase the population’s selenium intake through 'enriched' foods.

Eggs have been identified as a handy conduit for this extra mineral boost, and Tumen Shuvuut, one of the two largest egg-layer companies in Mongolia, has begun marketing selenium-enriched eggs from hens fed with Sel-Plex organic selenium – supplied by Alltech – to consumers nationwide.

Selenium is nutritionally essential for humans, as it is a constituent of more than two dozen selenoproteins that play critical roles in reproduction, thyroid hormone metabolism, DNA synthesis and protection from oxidative damage and infection.

“Selenium levels decrease with ageing, and the selenium deficiency in Mongolia is particularly prevalent among the elderly,” said Dr Jamayan Batjargal, director of the Food Research Center at the Public Health Institute of Mongolia. “Therefore, Mongolia needs to produce functional food, which is enriched with selenium, and put more effort into providing food supplements that contain selenium to high-risk groups. Government policies must support using selenium-enriched foods.”

Addressing the press conference in Ulaanbaatar, Alltech's global vice president Dr Mark Lyon noted that the company has been working on the enrichment of food products with Sel-Plex for more than 15 years.

“Our organic form of selenium is able to support the immune system of the animal during production while also differentiating the final product in the market and contributing to human health,” said Dr Lyons.

Alltech is currently working with nearly 60 companies around the globe to enrich food products in the areas of dairy, beef, pork, poultry and pet food.