Quantifying transport phenomena in food processing with nuclear magnetic resonance imaging

Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging is a spectroscopic technique capable of measuring food structure and transport phenomena occurring in foods and in simulated process equipment. This review presents an introduction to the theory of nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and presents methods of analysis for quantifying the transport of heat, mass and momentum in foods during processing, lite methods demonstrate the utility of using nuclear magnetic resonance imaging to study food processing systems. Specific examples include characterization of the rheology of fluid foods and of liquid to solid phase transitions.