About this Research Topic
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) are very powerful and versatile techniques, which are constantly evolving. In the last decades, an ever-increasing number of research fields have begun to exploit them, because of their ability to investigate on a wide variety of processes and go deep inside into many materials properties, at a molecular level. NMR techniques allow to obtain significant and reliable information on chemical, physical and, in case of MRI, morphological aspects. In particular, solid-, semiliquid- and liquid-state NMR techniques enable to analyze either pure compounds or complex mixtures, providing information on molecular structure, stereochemistry and chemical interactions, as well as permitting to follow reaction kinetics and carry out full quantitative evaluations. On the other hand, MRI represents a non-invasive and non-destructive technique (i.e. without the use of ionizing radiation), which provides images and parametric information (nuclear relaxation times and diffusivity) directly correlated to the sample physical structure, thus enabling the pristine identification of inner morphological anomalies, at a level of few tens of micrometers.
An important application of NMR/MRI techniques is in food science. In recent years there has been an increasing demand for quality food and often poor-quality food is “dressed-up” to make it similar to an excellent quality product, even with the addition of unauthorized chemicals. The traceability of agri-food products throughout the supply chain is a fundamental aspect for their valorization and safety for the final consumer. The development and optimization of accurate and sensitive analytical methods capable of guaranteeing the genuineness of agri-food products has become a fundamental research activity for both the industry and in the promotion of branded products. The conventional analytical methods currently used to evaluate the authenticity of agri-food products are based on the identification and subsequent quantification of known chemical compounds present within the food matrix under examination. But if the composition of the food matrix is not well known, this approach could also give rise to identification errors in the complex traceability system. The NMR/MRI techniques allow for the simultaneous identification and quantification of all the metabolites contained in the matrix under examination, no prior knowledge of the nature of these compounds is necessary in advance.
This Research Topic aims to collect the most promising and recent developments of NMR and MRI techniques in the field of food science. It will be an opportunity to present your results and share the latest advancements on the use of these techniques.
Contributions can include (but will not be limited to) the following topics and their relation to food and agriculture:
- NMR spectroscopy
- NMR relaxometry and diffusion analysis
- MRI and RM microscopy
- NMR-based metabolomics
- MAS techniques
We welcome submissions of the following article types: Brief Research Report, General Commentary, Mini Review and Review, Original Research, and Perspective.
An important application of NMR/MRI techniques is in food science. In recent years there has been an increasing demand for quality food and often poor-quality food is “dressed-up” to make it similar to an excellent quality product, even with the addition of unauthorized chemicals. The traceability of agri-food products throughout the supply chain is a fundamental aspect for their valorization and safety for the final consumer. The development and optimization of accurate and sensitive analytical methods capable of guaranteeing the genuineness of agri-food products has become a fundamental research activity for both the industry and in the promotion of branded products. The conventional analytical methods currently used to evaluate the authenticity of agri-food products are based on the identification and subsequent quantification of known chemical compounds present within the food matrix under examination. But if the composition of the food matrix is not well known, this approach could also give rise to identification errors in the complex traceability system. The NMR/MRI techniques allow for the simultaneous identification and quantification of all the metabolites contained in the matrix under examination, no prior knowledge of the nature of these compounds is necessary in advance.
This Research Topic aims to collect the most promising and recent developments of NMR and MRI techniques in the field of food science. It will be an opportunity to present your results and share the latest advancements on the use of these techniques.
Contributions can include (but will not be limited to) the following topics and their relation to food and agriculture:
- NMR spectroscopy
- NMR relaxometry and diffusion analysis
- MRI and RM microscopy
- NMR-based metabolomics
- MAS techniques
We welcome submissions of the following article types: Brief Research Report, General Commentary, Mini Review and Review, Original Research, and Perspective.
Keywords: Quantitative NMR, HR MAS, CP MAS, Food, NMR, MRI, Spectroscopy, Relaxometry
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
