Frontier Application | Led by China, the World’s First International Standard for Rapid Meat Testing Using Low-field NMR Officially Released!

The global food testing industry has reached a major technological milestone — the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has officially adopted and published the first international standard using low-field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (LF-NMR) technology to determine meat moisture content (ISO 17646:2025 “Rapid Determination of Moisture Content in Fresh Meat — Low-Field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Method”). This groundbreaking achievement was led by a team of Chinese food science experts, marking China’s entry into the forefront of global food quality and safety testing technologies.

This standard was developed with the support of the National Standardisation Administration, coordinated by the China Commerce Association, and led by Professor Guanghong Zhou from the College of Food Science, Nanjing Agricultural University. The research team collaborated with multiple universities, research institutions, and leading industry enterprises in China. Over three years of intensive research, the team successfully applied LF-NMR technology to meat moisture testing and established a rapid testing method that meets international leading standards.

Compared with traditional methods such as oven-drying, this technology offers significant advantages: first, it provides non-destructive testing, preserving the sample’s tissue structure; second, it dramatically improves testing efficiency, reducing analysis time from hours to minutes; third, it precisely distinguishes different forms of water molecules in meat (including free water and bound water), offering reliable technical support for identifying injected or frozen meat. Comparative studies conducted across 12 domestic and international laboratories showed minimal data dispersion, with repeatability, stability, and reliability far exceeding similar standards. The method has been recognised by more than 20 countries, including the USA, Australia, and Russia.

As a new productivity driver in the field of food testing, the standardised application of LF-NMR technology will significantly enhance the quality control of China’s meat industry and accelerate the internationalisation of domestic testing equipment. This breakthrough not only fills a gap in international rapid meat testing standards but also provides a Chinese solution for global meat trade quality supervision.

Standard Case Study Details:

Materials and Equipment:

The meat samples to be tested should be fresh pork, with temperatures between 0°C and 37°C.

Double-blade knife (1.0 cm spacing), ceramic knife.

NMR tubes (inner diameter 25 mm).

Instrumentation:

Balance (precision 0.001 g)

Low-field NMR analyser: Standard LF-NMR analyser with sample chamber diameter >25 mm and internal environment temperature ≤35°C.

Testing Parameters:

Set parameters as follows: CPMG sequence, receiver bandwidth SW = 100 kHz, proton resonance frequency SF = 21 MHz, start sampling time RFD = 0.08 ms, waiting time TW = 4000–8000 ms, analogue gain RG1 = 20 dB, number of sampling points TD = 1024, digital gain DRG1 = 3, preamplifier gain PRG = 2, number of accumulations NS = 8, DR = 1, TE = 0.3 ms, echo number NECH = 2000–5000.

Data Processing:

Arrange the measured NMR signal with X representing sampling time (ms) and Y representing signal intensity to obtain the continuous T₂ relaxation decay curve (CPMG curve) of the sample. From the inversion spectrum, water peaks can be categorised by transverse relaxation time:

T_2b = 1–10 ms: bound water;

T₂₁ = 10–100 ms: immobilised water;

T₂₂ ≥ 100 ms: free water.

From the inversion spectrum corresponding to each water type, calculate the respective NMR signal areas: A_2b (bound water peak area), A₂₁ (immobilised water peak area), and A₂₂ (free water peak area).

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References:

[1] International Organization for Standardization (ISO). (2025). ISO 17646:2025 Rapid Determination of Moisture Content in Fresh Meat — Low-Field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Method.