Ractopamine in Beef Poses Health Risk: Toxicologist

Sat, Feb 18, 2012 

With the President Ma Ying-Jeou  administration announcing its reassessment of the viability of increasing US beef imports soon after last month’s presidential election,the first governmental inter-departmental meeting on the issue declared that “ractopamine should be differentiated from other lean meat feed additives.”

The announcement caused a public uproar as it was perceived as a “sudden” departure from the common perception of Paylean as a feed additive that promotes the production of lean meat in cattle. In an interview conducted by “Liberty Times” (sister paper of the ”Taipei Times”) staff reporter Jennifer Huang, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital department of toxicology directorLin Chieh-Liang said that Paylean, an additive based on ractopamine, is definitely a lean meat additive, adding that although it is less toxic than others, it could cause side-effects in humans, such as heart palpitations or cardiovascular diseases

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Ractopamine in Beef Poses Health Risk: Toxicologist