Determination of quality parameters for mustard sauces in sealed packets using time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and chemometrics

Nowadays, most analytical methods used in the quality control of food products are based on wet chemical methods, which are destructive and generate toxic chemical waste. Therefore, in this study, we are proposing a nondestructive, noninvasive, wasteless method for quality control of mustard sauces, in sealed packets, using time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD-NMR) spectroscopy. The method measures the content of soluble solid content (SSC) and moisture content (MC). The analysis is also performed without weighting, which is a time-consuming step. The samples were analyzed in a TD-NMR spectrometer using a wide-bore (10 cm in diameter) Halbach permanent magnet. The TD-NMR signals were acquired with Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) pulse sequence, and the full decay data were processed using chemometric tools. The chemometric models show good correlation and low errors when compared to the SSC and MC values obtained with standard methods. These are good indicator that the proposed method has the potential to be used in quality control of both raw and final products. Furthermore, these parameters can be predicted, without violating the seal of packages.