An oil-in-water formulation has been optimized to determine trace levels of selenium in whole hen eggs by
graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. This method is simpler and requires fewer reagents when
compared with other sample pre-treatment procedures. Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometric (GF
AAS) measurement was carried out using standard addition calibration and Pd as a modifier. The precision,
expressed as relative standard deviation,was better than5% and the limit of detectionwas 1 μg L−1. Thevalidation
of the method was performed against a standard reference material Whole Egg Powder (RM 8415), and the
measured Se corresponded to 95.2% of the certified value. The method was used for the determination of the Se
level in eggs fromhens treatedwith Se dietary supplements. Inorganic and organic Se sourceswere added to hen
feed. The Se content of eggs was higher when hens were fed with organic Se compared to the other treatments.
The proposedmethod, including sample emulsification for subsequent Se determination by GFAAS has proved to
be sensitive, reproducible, simple and economical.