抄録
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a technique widely used for visualizing the spatial distribution of signal intensity, relaxation time, diffusion coefficient and chemical shift obtained by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and is also effectively used in food science. In this article, a brief explanation of the basic knowledge of MRI was provided, and research work on its application to several food products, including fish meat and wheat starch paste, were introduced. For the application of MRI in a study of fish meat, the mechanism of the salt penetration process was clarified by visualizing salinity changes in the fish meat. Water behavior in fish muscle after water perfusion was also revealed. In addition, gelatinization of wheat starch paste by localized laser heating and subsequent water migration was also elucidated by visualizing the spatial distribution of the gelatinization state in the paste using MRI. The results of these studies demonstrated that MRI has a great potential for visualizing and evaluating the movement of water and salt in food products. In conclusion, it has been shown that MRI has a great potential for visualizing and evaluating various food products as a non-invasive tool, and its application is expected to continue to be developed.
