# Multiscale time-domain NMR for structural, water, and texture characterization of meat and plant-based food matrices: a mini review

## TL;DR

This paper reviews how time-domain NMR can analyze water, structure, and texture in meat and plant-based foods at multiple scales.

## Contribution

It introduces a unified multiscale TD-NMR framework linking molecular to macroscopic properties in food matrices.

## Key findings

- TD-NMR relaxation and diffusion parameters correlate with microstructure and water distribution in food.
- Multiscale TD-NMR integrates with imaging and texture analysis for product optimization.
- Future directions include machine learning and inline TD-NMR sensing for food analysis.

## Abstract

Time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD-NMR) is a powerful, non-destructive method for probing water mobility, molecular dynamics, and hierarchical structure in complex food matrices. Over the past several decades, numerous studies have demonstrated that relaxation, diffusion, and relaxometry-derived parameters are closely linked to microstructural constraints, water distribution, texture, and water-holding capacity (WHC) in both muscle and plant-based systems. This mini review synthesizes foundational and recent advances into a unified multiscale TD-NMR framework spanning molecular (μs–ms), mesoscopic (μm), and macroscopic (mm–cm) levels. We show how T₁/T₂ relaxation, diffusion coefficients, and multidimensional correlation methods can be mapped onto structural and functional properties of native meat and engineered plant-based matrices. Integrating these TD-NMR modalities with microstructural imaging and texture profiling provides a quantitative approach for mechanistic understanding and product optimization. Future opportunities include machine-learning tools for multidimensional datasets, physics-guided inversion algorithms, and the development of industrial, inline TD-NMR sensing platforms.

This diagram shows how TD-NMR links molecular mobility, mesoscopic microstructure, and macroscopic properties in food systems. Fast motions of water, proteins, and lipids shape relaxation and diffusion signals, which reflect pores, fibers, and protein networks. These multiscale interactions ultimately determine texture and water-holding capacity in meat and plant-based matrices.Diagram illustrating multiscale time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD-NMR) food analysis across molecular, mesoscopic, and macroscopic tiers with corresponding size scales, showing signals, structures, and food properties at each level.

This diagram shows how TD-NMR links molecular mobility, mesoscopic microstructure, and macroscopic properties in food systems. Fast motions of water, proteins, and lipids shape relaxation and diffusion signals, which reflect pores, fibers, and protein networks. These multiscale interactions ultimately determine texture and water-holding capacity in meat and plant-based matrices.