Application of quantitative magnetization transfer magnetic resonance imaging for characterization of dry-cured hams

•qMT-MRI is an efficient method for nondestructive ham tissue characterization.•qMT parameters correlate well with conventional MR parameters (T1, T2, ADC).•Macromolecular pool size correlates with chemically determined protein content.

Quantitative magnetization transfer magnetic resonance imaging (qMT-MRI) was employed to characterize dry-cured ham tissues differing in anatomical positions and processing protocols. Experimentally obtained MR images of dry-cured ham sections were analyzed by the well-established binary-spin-bath (BSB) model. The model enabled an efficient discrimination between a free-water proton pool and a restricted-macromolecular proton pool. Significant differences in restricted pool sizes were found among different ham sections. Values of the restricted pool size obtained by the model were in a good agreement with chemically determined protein content. The study confirmed the feasibility of the applied qMT-MRI as a nondestructive tool for characterization of dry-cured ham tissues.