A quick look to the use of time domain nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry and magnetic resonance imaging for food quality applications

Evaluation of food quality in industrial production is a major interest. Fast, reliable, cost-effective and easy-to-use applications are required for on-line inspection of food products. With the recent advances in the field, time domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques have been shown to provide rapid, non-invasive characterization of foods alternative to labor intensive and invasive conventional methods. The basic principle of TD NMR is analysis of the signal coming from the excited sample whereas MRI is able to visualize the internal structure of the samples without any disruption. This review refers to the most recent advances in the TD NMR and MRI-based food quality applications. Some new quality applications of TD-NMR have also been addressed.