Analysis of oil content of maize by wide-line NMR

A series of experiments to define feasibility, accuracy, and precision of wide-line nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy as a nondestructive analytical tool for the oil content of living seeds is described. Corn samples, ranging from single seeds to 25 g, were scanned by NMR and gravimetrically analyzed. A high positive correlation (r = 0.99⁺) was invariably encountered. Single, 30-sec NMR scans on 25-g corn samples gave estimates within ±33 ing of the “true” oil content 95% of the time. Error associated with single, 30-sec scans of individual corn kernels amounted to ±1.3 mg of oil at the same confidence level. Samples containing more than 4.5% moisture contribute to the NMR signal, and therefore oil content is overestimated. A new dimension is added to the breeding and genetics of oil crops by the application of the NMR technique in that the process is non-destructive and feasible even for single seeds. The usefulness of the technique in studies involving the nature of water and its surrounding medium is suggested.