Low-field NMR Spectroscopy

NMR spectroscopy is a powerful technique for measuring subtle chemical changes.  Originally supported by an InnovateUK collaborative research grant, we have been developing applications of low-field (60MHz) NMR spectroscopy for rapid compositional analysis, since the advent of ‘compact’ or ‘benchtop’ NMR instruments around a decade ago.

We have targeted quality assurance issues in the food sector, with key outputs including:

• Detection of fraud in the saffron sector. Reported in Gunning et. al., 2023. Commercial analytical testing service in development for QIB Extra.
• Rapid authentication of Argan oil. Reported in the literature Gunning et. al., 2020. Commercial analytical testing service offered by QIB Extra.
• A novel method for rapid authentication of ground roast Arabica coffee. Reported in the literature Gunning et. al., 2018). Commercial analytical testing service offered by QIB Extra.
• First reported use of low field NMR for distinguishing between coffee species Defernez et. al., 2017)
• A method for distinguishing between olive and hazelnut oils. Reported in Parker et al, 2014
• A novel method for rapid speciation of meat via lipid fraction profiling (British Patent Application 1315962.9)
• A detailed study of the NMR speciation method applied to raw beef and horsemeat. Reported in Jakes et al, 2015.