title: Evaluation of the illegal use of clenbuterol in Portuguese cattle farms from drinking water, urine, hair and feed samples.
abstract: The recent discovery of clenbuterol contamination in Portuguese food led to the specific inspection of 16 cattle farms for beta-agonists, involving the analysis of a total of 486 samples (78 feed, 106 drinking water, 168 urine and 134 hair). The samples were screened for the beta-agonists: bromobuterol, cimaterol, clenbuterol, clenpenterol, clenproperol, hydroxymethylclenbuterol, mapenterol, salbutamol and terbutaline. Only clenbuterol was found in all analyzed matrices and the most likely method of illegal administration to animals was through drinking water. Of all samples analysed, 14.15% of drinking water were found positive in the range 0.03-3.80 mg l(-1) clenbuterol. Inclusion of hair samples in the Portuguese plan for clenbuterol residue control in live animals is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Bromatologia, Centro de Estudos Farmaceuticos, Faculdade de Farmacia da Universidade de Coimbra, 3000-295 Coimbra, Portugal. fjramos@ci.uc.pt
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Baeta
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.forename: M I N
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Silveira
mesh_terms: D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis* / Q000652:urine; D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis*; D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002976:Clenbuterol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis* / Q000652:urine; D017277:Drug Approval / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D004350:Drug Residues / Q000032:analysis*; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry*; D011174:Portugal; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D052616:Solid Phase Extraction / Q000379:methods; D014881:Water Supply / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists; D002976:Clenbuterol