A technical-economic simulation was performed based on results from publications for assessing the inclusion of ractopamine in the diet of finishing pigs. Eighteen articles were used, which assessed levels of 0, 5, 10, and/or 20ppm of ractopamine in the diet, totalizing 2,991 animals. Based on the results obtained in these technical publications, equations were used for the simulation of the technical-economic performance. From this study, it was established that the costs are independent of the system of revenue of the producer and range from 3 to 6ppm of ractopamine added in the diet. The maximum profit was obtained with the levels of 10 and 12ppm of ractopamine, respectively, for the systems of revenue per body weight and per bonus. The results show a better economic performance with the use of ractopamine in the diet of finishing pigs, by the system of revenue per bonus. Analyses of sensitivity of changes in the revenue of producers presented optimal values of 9 to 12ppm of ractopamine, with a range of up to R$ 49.00 per capita between the tested scenarios.
pig; additive; economic evaluation; carcass; lean meat; nutrition
