Abstract: Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance, with the advantages of rapid and non-destructive determination and small volume samples, has been exploited and applied in the field of meat science. The principle of low-field nuclear magnetic resonance is introduced in this paper. Moreover, recent advances in the application of low-field nuclear magnetic resonance in determining water contents and other related quality characteristics of meat and meat products is outlined.

Key words: low-field nuclear magnetic resonance, meat and meat products, water determination, transverse relaxation time, quality characteristics