Continuous distribution analysis of T2 relaxation in meat—an approach in the determination of water-holding capacity

Continuous distribution analysis as well as traditional bi-exponential fitting analysis were carried out on NMR T2 relaxation data measured 24 h post-mortem in 74 pork meat samples from M. longissimus dorsi. Areas of relaxation populations found by continuous distribution analysis and corresponding time constants were determined. Comparison of correlations to water holding capacity (WHC), determined by Honikel’s bag method [Honikel, K. O. (1998). Reference methods for the assessment of physical characteristics of meat. Meat Science, 49, 447–457], revealed superior performance of continuous distribution analysis (r=−0.85) compared with traditional bi-exponential fitting analysis (r=−0.77). Furthermore, the changes in continuous relaxation time distribution spectra were followed during loss of water from meat samples by centrifugation. It was found that the area of the slowest relaxation population (T22) decreased proportionally with the amount of expelled water. A physical explanation for the obtained correlation between continuous relaxation time distribution data and WHC is given upon the results from these data.