Time-Domain Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (TD-NMR) Body Composition Analyzer

Technical Requirements Equipment description: Benchtop time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD-NMR) body composition analyzer capable of measuring composition (moisture, protein, fat, connective tissue, etc.) and T2 properties (transverse relaxation time, proportion of free and tightly bound water populations, etc.) in intact meat samples up to 650 g. Additionally, the system should also be able to measure composition in either small poultry carcasses or bone-in poultry carcass parts. General Requirements The instrument shall: 1. Be a benchtop TD-NMR system suitable for laboratory environments. 2. Provide non-invasive, in-vivo body composition measurements. 3. Provide T2 properties for assessing meat/muscle water properties (proportion of free water, immobilized water, tightly bound water). 4. Operate without cryogens and on standard 110–240 V AC laboratory power. 5. Support high-throughput workflows necessary for repeated daily measurements in longitudinal studies. 6. Be fully operational indoors without specialized shielding or infrastructure modifications. Performance Requirements Measurement Capabilities The system shall: 1. Quantify, at minimum: o Fat mass o Lean mass o Free fluid (water content) o Device must be able to produce T1 data results o Device must be able to produce or be configured to produce T2 water properties of meat samples 2. Produce quantitative results using T2-based relaxation measurements or equivalent TD-NMR methodology. 3. Provide body composition values as absolute masses or volumes. Accuracy and Precision The system shall: 1. Provide measurement accuracy of approximately 1% of total sample mass. 2. Maintain reproducibility suitable for multi-operator laboratory environments. 3. Include factory-calibrated or validated protocols requiring no chemical standards or consumables. -- 1 of 2 -- Measurement Duration The system shall: 1. Complete a standard in-vivo measurement in 3 minutes or less per sample. 2. Support minimum daily throughput of 30 samples per day under routine operation. Sample Size Capacity The system shall accommodate: 1. Intact meat samples up to 650 g 2. Tissue samples 5-10 g 3. Small tissue biopsies down to 0.1 g Operational Requirements The system shall: 1. Be designed for continuous operation under standard laboratory conditions. 2. Require no external cooling, cryogens, or RF shielding. 3. Allow transport within the facility using standard lab carts or internal casters. 4. Include all necessary cables, accessories, and sample holders required for immediate operation upon installation. Software Requirements The system software shall: 1. Provide automated acquisition and analysis for fat, lean, free-fluid measurements and T2 properties. 2. Export results in open formats (CSV, XML, or equivalent). 3. Permit user-defined workflows and measurement sequences. 4. Include longitudinal study support tools such as repeated-measures tracking. 5. Operate on standard Windows-based laboratory computers. 6. Provide basic data-integrity safeguards consistent with research record-keeping requirements. Deliverables The vendor shall provide: 1. TD-NMR analyzer meeting all previously listed specifications. 2. Probes/sample holders for both: o Small tissue samples o Samples up to 650 g 3. Operational software. 4. All operating manuals, training materials, and maintenance documentation. 5. Technical support. 6. On-site setup and initial operational training for laboratory personnel. -- 2 of 2 --