Single-sided and semisingle-sided NMR sensors for highly diffusive samples: application to bottled beverages

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Food Science

Background:

• Single-sided Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) sensors, like the NMR-MOUSE, excel in quality control for rubber and polymers.
• Recent applications extended to food fat component characterization, targeting low self-diffusion coefficients (≤ 5x10⁻¹¹ m²/s).
• Conventional single-sided NMR faces challenges with highly mobile, watery food and beverage phases due to strong magnetic field gradients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop novel single-sided NMR sensor designs overcoming limitations for analyzing watery food and beverage samples.
• To enhance sensitivity and maintain open access for measurements on intact food packages.
• To demonstrate the utility of these new sensors in a practical application, such as oxygen content determination.

Main Methods:

• Development of a single-sided NMR sensor with a reduced magnetic field gradient.
• Introduction of a "semi-single-sided" sensor design featuring an open sample bay and a single-sided RF coil.
• Application of the developed sensors for determining oxygen content in superoxygenated table water bottles.

Main Results:

• The new sensor designs effectively address the limitations of conventional single-sided NMR in analyzing highly mobile liquid phases.
• The "semi-single-sided" design provides improved sensitivity while retaining essential open access for large sample containers.
• Successful determination of oxygen content in superoxygenated table water bottles was achieved using the novel sensors.

Conclusions:

• Novel single-sided and semi-single-sided NMR sensors are effective for analyzing watery food and beverage products.
• These advancements expand the applicability of NMR technology to a broader range of food and beverage quality control scenarios.
• The developed sensors offer a promising tool for non-invasive analysis of packaged food and beverages, including oxygen content measurement.