Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Meat Products: Automated Quantitation of the NMR Relaxation Parameters of Cured Pork, by Both ‘bulk’ NMR and MRI Methods

An integrated protocol has been developed for the automated acquisition and processing of a set of magnetic resonance images which quantify the spatial distribution of the T 1 and T 2 values, proton density (M 0 ) and magnetisation transfer (MT)-rate. That protocol has been validated for homogeneous samples against 'bulk' NMR measurements using the same experimental conditions, both at 2.35 and 7 Tesla. Application of that technology to pork cured in a brine solution shows that brining affected the T 2 values and the apparent MT rates more significantly than either the T 1 values, the M 0 values or the M sat /M 0 ratios. The dependence of the NMR relaxation times on meat swelling induced by sodium chloride is also discussed.