Low Field (LF) NMR is a widely used technique throughout the food industry. It is a very versatile tool that can measure and quantify a wide variety of parameters, such as solid/liquid fat ratios, droplet sizes in emulsions, and oil and water contents. Information on molecular mobility of different species can also be determined from relaxation time and diffusion measurements. Most LF-NMR or 'benchtop' spectrometers are generally constructed with permanent magnets weighing up to 50 - 100kg hence arenot considered portable. They are also designed as small bore instruments with sample tube diameters typically ranging from 10mm to 30mm. Although the technique is often claimed to be non-invasive, it is generally necessary to sub-sample food samples toallow analysis, and therefore the technique cannot always be claimed to be non-destructive. The NMR-MObile Universal Surface Explorer (NMR-MOUSE) is a small compact portable NMR surface scanning device which has the potential to overcome these limitations. The NMR MOUSE could therefore be a truly non-destructive, non-invasive, portable spectroscopic technique.
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