Abstract:In order to explore the effects of salt ions on gel texture properties and moisture characteristic of duck eggs,low field nuclear magnetic resonance (Low-field NMR) was integrated to analyze the changes of the moisture status. Water relaxation time(T2), proton density and relaxation area (A2) were explored by magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), and water distribution was visualized by MRI. Meanwhile, the differences in traditional characteristic indices of gels such as texture properties (hardness, springiness, cohesiveness and chewiness) were also investigated. The results showed that the relative proportions of free water increased, and the relative proportions of immobilized water and bound water decreased. T2 transverse relaxation time of yolk decreased significantly (P<0.05), and the water of yolk was bound stronger and its degree of freedom decreased. According to the data of texture analyzer, the hardness, springiness, cohesiveness and chewiness of the album gel decreased significantly (P<0.05) and water holding capacity decreased significantly (P<0.05) at first and increased slightly at last. The hardness, cohesiveness and chewiness of yolk increased significantly (P<0.05), while the springiness decreased significantly (P<0.05). This study provides a theoretical reference for the application of Low-field NMR to analyze the correlation between gel strength and moisture characteristic of duck eggs during salting period.