Optimization of LF-NMR-based methods for analysis of oil content and distribution in germinating oilseeds

Lipid metabolism is critical for seed germination, directly impacting their nutritional value as a food raw material. Conventional methods for oil analysis are destructive and fail to determine oil distribution. This study evaluated the feasibility of using low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) coupled with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a non-destructive approach for monitoring oil changes in germinating oilseeds.

Four representative oilseed varieties - herbaceous (peanut, soybean) and woody (camellia, almond) - were investigated to analyze oil changes during germination. The accuracy of LF-NMR was validated against Soxhlet extraction and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The results revealed that herbaceous seeds exhibited rapid oil mobilization germination, whereas woody seeds showed slower oil consumption. High correlations were observed between LF-NMR method and conventional method/CLSM imaging method (R² > 0.9). Notably, MRI-imaging oil ratio demonstrated the highest accuracy in quantifying both oil content and distribution. Greenness evaluation results show that LF-NMR is the greenest method for sample preparation and measurement process.

These findings confirm LF-NMR as an effective method for non-destructive monitoring of oil content and distribution during seed germination, which holds significant application potential in areas such as food raw material quality assessment and the optimization of oilseed processing pretreatment. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.