Analytical Sciences

Ontogenetic Changes of the Water Status in the Heated Quail's Egg as Studied by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Mitsuru TASHIRO,*¹ Nobuaki ISHIDA,*² Sakurako SHIMOTAKAHARA,*³ Soichi TANABE,*⁴ and Akira OKUBO*⁵ 

*1 Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Minami-Osawa,Hachioji 192-0397, Japan
*2 National Food Research Institute, Tsukuba Science City, Ibaraki 305-8642, Japan
*3 Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Science, Horinouchi, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0392, Japan
*4 Food Science Laboratory, Tokyo Gakugei University, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8501, Japan
*5 Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences,The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan

The ¹H-magnetic resonance imaging technique was applied for monitoring the extent of the heat coagulation in the shell egg. It is demonstrated that spin-spin relaxation time (T₂) is an effective marker to observe the extent of coagulation in egg white and yolk and that the T₂ value image is quite useful to recognize non-destructively the extent and status of coagulation of the heated eggs. This technique can also be applied to the material science as well as food science for observation of the inner status of the objects.

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