The Use of Time Domain NMR in Food Analysis: A Review
Giuseppe Acri, Carlo Sansotta, Elisa Ruello, Lucia Denaro, Francesca Maria Salmeri, Barbara Testagrossa
Abstract
In this review, we focus on the recent developments in the Time Domain Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (TD-NMR). The Introduction section describes the methods usually adopted for the assessment of food quality, whereas the second paragraph illustrates the basic physical principles of the TD-NMR technique. In the third section, we discuss the principal application of the TDNMR method in food science. In fact, in the last decades, TD-NMR has become one of the most efficient and advanced techniques for the analysis of food products. In TD-NMR technique, the proton relaxation (transversal relaxation, T2) is monitored, providing information about the mobility of the nuclei. TD-NMR is principally used for monitoring the fat composition of food products, which represents a crucial parameter to be considered for controlling the food properties and improving its quality. This paper will present a summary of the most important applications of low field TD-NMR technique in food science and the results of the most important researches.