NMR quality assurance of vegetables

Most NMR studies of potato have focused on understanding the effects of processes such as boiling, frying, freezing and drying. Exceptions are the NMR microimaging of healthy and diseased potato tubers reported by Goodman and co-workers, and relaxometry responses in healthy tubers 

Squash such as courgette (zucchini) and cucumber is a chill-sensitive commodity. Exposure to chilling temperatures causes loss of membrane integrity and water redistribution from the cell to the intercellular space. Visible injury symptoms such as surface pitting and dark watery patches eventually develop. Early detection of chill injury is important in order to ascertain the necessity and correct timing of treatments such as heat shock, that can reverse the condition. However, delaying treatment to the point where visible symptoms appear is too late for reversal. 

Chilling injury in courgette/zucchini has been studied by After just 

More recently Naruke and co-workers have studied chilling injury in cucumber with very similar results. Cucumbers were stored either at 15°C or at 2°C for 9 days. Visible pitting appeared after 5 days storage in the chilled samples, but Ti measured at 0.58 T (25 MHz) showed an abrupt increase after just 3 days storage. 

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