NMR Relaxation and Diffusion Studies of Horticultural Products

The importance of the worldwide production of fruit and vegetables both for human health and as an economic force should not be underestimated. In the United States alone, the fruit and vegetable industry generates over $6 billion in income annually. Much research effort is aimed at maximizing production by optimizing the factors affecting growth in the field such as irrigation, nutrients, and harvesting times as well as finding optimum storage conditions, especially for fruit kept in long-term storage for export and/or off-season marketing. It also involves finding the best ways to sort and grade fruit coming out of storage which means developing non-invasive sensors of fruit and vegetable quality.