Determination of ractopamine hydrochloride in swine, cattle, and turkey feeds by liquid chromatography with coulometric detection.

A liquid chromatographic method is described for the determination of ractopamine hydrochloride (LY31537) in swine, turkey, and cattle feeds in the 1.25-100 ppm range and in swine supplement at 100 ppm. Feed samples were extracted with acidified methanol. An aliquot of the feed extract was diluted with water and buffered to pH 10.5 +/- 0.5 with sodium carbonate to convert ractopamine hydrochloride to a free base. The free base was extracted from the buffered sample with ethyl acetate. The extract was further purified on an acid-washed, silica solid-phase extraction cartridge. After conversion of the free base back to the salt form with pH 4.5 buffer, analytical separation and quantitation of ractopamine hydrochloride were accomplished on IBM phenyl and Whatman ODS reversed-phase columns with coulometric detection at +600 mV. Mean daily recovery levels ranged from 85 to 100% for feeds fortified at 1.25 to 100 ppm. The coefficients of variation ranged from 1 to 6% for feeds fortified at 2.5 to 100 ppm.