Review article

Ractopamine – Growth promoter in meat and meat products

Doc. Jelka Pleadin orcid.org/0000-0002-0768-0462 ; Hrvatski veterinarski institut, Laboratorij za analitičku kemiju, Savska cesta 143, 10 000 Zagreb;

Abstract

Ractopamine is the substance from the group of β-adrenergic agonists, xenobiotic of new generation with evidenced activity as growth promoter in farm animals. Application of ractopamine in pigs in the final stages of fattening resulted in increased body weight
and lean meat, reduced amount of fat, accelerating the metabolism of animals and the speed of their fattening. The pharmacological
and toxicological effects of ractopamine in humans are still not fully known, but some data suggest that consumption of meat and
meat products derived from animals to which ractopamine was applied can resulted with clinical effects and adverse consequences
on human health. Application of ractopamine on farm animals results with accumulation of its residues in the internal organs and
pigmented tissues. Although the use of substances with anabolic effect is permitted in many countries of the world, the European
Union prohibited the application of substances with anabolic effect on farm animals, and also of ractopamine. Therefore, through
the annual plans prescribed by the competent authorities continued the monitoring of residues of these substances, by sampling of
various animals biological materials on farms and in slaughterhouses, and using sensitive and selective analytical techniques for
their detection, with the aim of carrying out a more effective control of abuse of substances that achieve an anabolic effect.

Keywords

ractopamine; β-adrenergic agonists; growth promoter; farm animals; residues

Hrčak ID:

132399

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/132399

Publication date:

1.9.2014.

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