EVALUATION OF SEVERAL PULSED NMR TECHNIQUES FOR SOLIDS‐IN‐FAT DETERMINATION OF COMMERCIAL FATS

The critical procedural and instrumental parameters for the determination of the percent solids in commercial fat samples using proton pulsed NMR techniques are reported. The precision and accuracy of two alternate data treatments are identified. The pulsed NMR technique has the advantage of measurement speed on the standard dilatometric and wideline NMR procedures. However, in common with these, for consistent results the samples must be temperature conditioned. Within experimental error, the pulsed NMR method is not sensitive to a tempering step in the conditioning procedure. A pulsed NMR method based on the use of a standar plot has a standard deviation of ±1%. This compares favorably with wideline NMR, but is less precise than dilatometry. The results, however, are linearly related to dilatometry, and are most accurate at low solid levels. For commercial fats, accuracy was found to depend upon their composition.