A reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography technique has been developed for the identification of taurine- and glycine-conjugated bile acids in the bile of preruminant goats. The mobile phase consisted of two solvents: acetonitrile (A) and 5 mM potassium phosphate buffer (pH 4.5) (B). Samples (10 microliters) were eluted with a linear gradient in which acetonitrile was increased from 25 to 35%, and from 35 to 45%, at 10 min intervals. Flow rate was 1.0 ml min-1, and bile acids were detected at 200 nm. This sample high resolution technique was highly reproducible, involved a minimum of straightforward sample treatment, and required a short chromatographic development time. The technique will be of use in the systematic identifications of bile acids in preruminants.