Determination and confirmation of parent and total ractopamine in bovine, swine, and turkey tissues by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry: First Action 2011.23.

A candidate method selected by the AOAC Expert Review Panel (ERP) for Ractopamine for determination and confirmation of parent and total ractopamine by LC/MS/MS was validated in a single laboratory for bovine, swine, and turkey tissues. The candidate method utilizes methanol extraction of the tissues, followed by an optional enzymatic hydrolysis for determination of total (parent plus conjugate) ractopamine. A mixed-mode cation exchange SPE cartridge is used to purify the initial extract before LC/MS/MS. Matrix-matched standards and a ractopamine-d6 internal standard are used for quantification of parent and total ractopamine in unknown samples. Validation data demonstrated that mean intertrial recoveries for ractopamine across all concentrations tested ranged from 79.7 to 102.2% for parent ractopamine and from 79.0 to 100.0% when a hydrolysis step was included. Intertrial repeatability precision ranged from 2.44 to 11.1% for parent ractopamine and 4.97 to 15.0% with hydrolysis. Estimated LOD values were below 0.1 ng/g and LOQ values were validated at 0.25x the maximum residue limits. The data satisfy the requirements of the AOAC Stakeholder Panel for Veterinary Drug Residue Methods for single laboratory validation studies. The method was awarded Official Methods of Analysis First Action 2011.23 by the AOAC ERP on Veterinary Drug Residues.