Comparison of In Vitro PBET and Phosphoric Acid Extraction as an Approach to Estimate Selenite and Selenate Bioaccessibility from Soil

Several approaches have been used to estimate the bioaccessibility of trace metals from soils. Here, we applied phosphoric acid extraction and the in vitro test physiologically based extraction (PBET) to soils containing selenium (Se) and compared their performance in estimating the bioaccessibility of Se. For this purpose, we used two soil samples and two Certified Reference Material soil samples with a range of Se concentrations. The total Se contents were measured in the samples and in the extracts by hydride generation–atomic fluorescence spectroscopy. Moreover, we also measured selenite and selenate in the soil extracts (from phosphoric acid and from the PBET) using the coupled techniques liquid chromatography–UV photooxidation–atomic fluorescence spectroscopy and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma. From the results obtained in the present study, the PBET showed that the selenium bioaccessible fraction was mainly attributed to the gastrointestinal step. When comparing the results from PBET with those of the phosphoric acid extraction, similar values of Se (IV) and Se (VI) were obtained for both extraction systems. An estimation of the bioaccessibility percentage of Se is also reported.