• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.345-351
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• 2014

Purpose: Rapid detection of bacteria is very important in agricultural and food industries to prevent many foodborne illnesses. The objective of this study was to develop a portable nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based system to detect foodborne pathogens (E. coli). This study was focused on developing a method to detect low concentrations of magnetic nanoparticles using NMR techniques. Methods: NMR relaxometry was performed to examine the NMR properties of iron nanoparticle mixtures with different concentrations by using a 1 T permanent magnet magnetic resonance imaging system. Exponential curve fitting (ECF) and inverse Laplace transform (ILT) methods were used to estimate the NMR relaxation time constants, $T_1$ and $T_2$, of guar gum solutions with different iron nanoparticle concentrations (0, $10^{-3}$, $10^{-4}$, $10^{-5}$, $10^{-6}$, and $10^{-7}M$). Results: The ECF and ILT methods did not show much difference in these values. Analysis of the NMR relaxation data showed that the ILT method is comparable to the classical ECF method and is more sensitive to the presence of iron nanoparticles. This study also showed that the spin-spin relaxation time constants acquired by a Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) pulse sequence are more useful for determining the concentration of iron nanoparticle solutions comparwith the spin-lattice relaxation time constants acquired by an inversion recovery pulse sequence. Conclusions: We conclude that NMR relaxometry that utilizes CPMG pulse sequence and ILT analysis is more suitable for detecting foodborne pathogens bound to magnetic nanoparticles in agricultural and food products than using inversion recovery pulse sequence and ECF analysis.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.895-898
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• 2008

The mobility of water in set yogurt during fermentation was studied using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry. The spin-spin relaxation was analyzed using a 2-fraction model, resulting in 2 spin-spin relaxation time constants $T_{21}$ and $T_{22}$. Both $T_{21}$ and $T_{22}$ exhibited rapid changes between 2 and 4 hr of fermentation, coinciding with the drop in pH and the rise in lactic acid bacteria count. The spin-lattice relaxation time $T_1$ increased over the fermentation period. Both $T_1$ and $T_2$ showed an increase in the mobility of water upon gel formation during fermentation. Water redistribution within the gel matrix due to casein aggregation and structure forming may be responsible for the changes in mobility.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.102-105
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• 2008

The freezing patterns of commercial frozen foods were characterized by using proton nuclear magnetic resonance ($^1H$ NMR) relaxometry and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The liquid-like components like unfrozen water were investigated as a function of temperature (10 to $-40^{\circ}C$) and then compared with the unfrozen water content measured by DSC. The formation of ice crystals and the reduction of water in the foods during freezing were readily observed as a loss of the NMR signal intensity. The proton NMR relaxation measurement showed that the decreasing pattern of the liquid-like components varied depending on the samples even though they exhibited the same onset temperature of ice formation at around $0^{\circ}C$. When compared with the unfrozen water content obtained by the DSC, the NMR and DSC results could be closely correlated at the temperature above $-20^{\circ}C$. However, the distinct divergence in the values between 2 methods was observed with further decreasing temperatures probably due to the solid glass formation which was not detected by DSC.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.372-380
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• 2019

Modern biotechnological industries have been attempting to improve the efficiency of bacterial strain cultivation. Millimeter wave electromagnetic radiation can have a varied influence on E. coli cultivation processes. The results of the study revealed that when a microwave radiation of low intensity is applied to positively adjust the conditions for the accumulation of bacterial culture biomass, a significant role is played not only by radiation parameters, but also by concomitant biological factors, which influence the reproducibility of the cultivation process and help obtain a useful biotechnological effect. The authors suggest a model that can be used to study the molecular mechanisms underlying the changes in the buildup of E. coli biomass under the influence of electromagnetic radiation.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.67-72
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• 1998

The mapping of the spin-spin relaxation time T2 in pixel-by-pixel was suggested as a quantitative diagnostic tool in medicine. although the CPMG pulse sequence has been known to be the best pulse sequence for T2 measurement in physics NMR, the supplied pulse sequence by the manufacture of MRI system was able to obtain the maximum of 4 CPMG images. Eight or more images with different echo time TEs are required to construct a reliable T2 map, so that two or more acquisitions were required, which easily took more than 10 minutes. 4-echo CPMG imaging pulse sequence was modified to generate the maximum of 8 MR images with evenly spaced echo time TEs. In human MR imaging, since patients tend to move at least several pixels between the different acquisitions, 8-echo CPMG imaging sequence reduces the acquisition time and may remove any mis-regitration of each pixels signal for the fitting of T2. The resultant T2 maps using the theoretically simulated images and using the MR images of the human brain suggested that 8 echo CPMG sequence with short echo spacing such as 17-20 msec can give the reliable T2 map.