Green plums were dried at 50, 60, 70, and 80 ℃ to study the dynamic changes of internal moisture during the drying process. Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) was used to study the dynamic changes across the T2 relaxation spectrum, while magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provided visualization of the plums throughout the process. The results indicate a negative linear relationship between the lost moisture of the plums (p < 0.05) as drying time increased. Relaxation times T21 , T22, and T23 , and the peak areas of A21 and A23 decreased significantly during the drying process. The MRI results also show that the brightness of the images decreased as the drying time increased, indicating that the higher the temperature, the greater the water loss inside the plums. Color measurements demonstrated that the high temperature dried plums had better sensory quality. Correlation analysis implies a strong positive relationship between A23 and Atotal and water content, with coefficients of 0.958 and 0.936, respectively. Principal component analysis results show that the drying temperature has a significant effect on the sample's internal moisture release. LF-NMR is a fast, convenient, and feasible technique for monitoring the moisture variation of green plums during the drying process. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) was used to study the moisture dynamic changes of green plums across the T2 relaxation spectrum, while magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provided visualization of plums throughout the process. The drying temperature has a significant effect on the green plum's internal moisture release and may affect the quality of the plums. LF-NMR might be a complementary technique in monitoring the moisture variation of green plums during the drying process.
Keywords: LF-NMR; MRI; drying process; green plum; moisture changes.
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