DETERMINATION OF CLENBUTEROL IN BEEF-LIVER AND MUSCLE-TISSUE USING IMMUNOAFFINITY CHROMATOGRAPHIC CLEANUP AND LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY WITH ULTRAVIOLET ABSORBENCY DETECTION

Clenbuterol, a beta-agonist, was determined in samples of beef liver a nd muscle. The method employed an acidic aqueous extraction followed b y protein precipitation. The supernatant liquid was passed through a w eak cation-exchange cartridge and then through a commercially availabl e immunoaffinity cartridge. Clenbuterol was eluted from the immunoaffi nity cartridge with 80% ethanol in water, The eluate was concentrated and analysed directly by reversed-phase liquid chromatography using gr adient elution and UV detection at 245 nm. Detection limits were estim ated to be 0.3 ng g(-1) clenbuterol. A single immunoaffinity cartridge was used for ten sample extracts with no significant loss in capacity . No organic solvents other than ethanol and methanol were employed in the procedure. Recoveries of clenbuterol from samples of beef liver a nd muscle spiked at 2 and 5 ng g(-1) carried through the entire proced ure were 63 +/- 11% (range, 53-74%) compared to pure standards. Absolu te recoveries of pure standards (30 ng clenbuterol) carried through th e same analytical steps were 70 +/- 5% (n=6), the losses being primari ly due to the ion-exchange step. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.