Water Distribution in Tofu and Application of T2 Relaxation Measurements in Determination of Tofu’s Water-Holding Capacity

Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) was introduced for the elucidation of tofu in the present study. After multiexponential analysis of relaxation decays, three water fractions centered at about 1.5-2.6, 24-114, and 132-305 ms were detected and identified as T2b, T21, and T22, respectively. Principal component analysis (PCA) of the data revealed that sample aggregation was dependent on solubility of coagulants and contained anions. Stepwise centrifugation and microwave drying were employed as dehydration methods. Significant correlations were observed between T21 and T22 relaxation times and water-holding capacity (WHC) in both dehydration processes, which implied LF-NMR measurements could be an efficient method for determination and prediction of tofu's water-holding capacity. Ten linear equations that could be applied in prediction of WHC for tofu were reported. LF-NMR was suggested to be a powerful tool for the study of tofu.