title: [Relaxation times T1, T2, and T2* of apples, pears, citrus fruits, and potatoes with a comparison to human tissues].
abstract: The aim of the project was a systematic assessment of relaxation times of different fruits and vegetables and a comparison to values of human tissues. Results provide an improved basis for selection of plant phantoms for development of new MR techniques and sequences. Vessels filled with agar gel are mostly used for this purpose, preparation of which is effortful and time-consuming. In the presented study apples, (malus, 8 species), pears, (pyrus, 2 species), citrus fruits (citrus, 5 species) and uncooked potatoes (solanum tuberosum, 8 species) from the supermarket were examined which are easily available nearly all-the-year. T1, T2 and T2* relaxation times of these nature products were measured on a 1.5 Tesla MR system with adapted examination protocols and mono-exponential fitting, and compared to literature data of human parenchyma tissues, fatty tissue and body fluid (cerebrospinal fluid). Resulting values were as follows: apples: T1: 1486-1874 ms, T2: 163-281 ms, T2*: 2.3-3.2 ms; pears: T1: 1631-1969 ms, T2: 119-133 ms, T2* : 10.1-10.6 ms, citrus fruits (pulp) T1: 2055-2632 ms, T2: 497-998 ms, T2* : 151-182 ms; citrus fruits (skin) T1: 561-1669 ms, T2: 93-119 ms; potatoes: T1: 1011-1459 ms, T2: 166 - 210 ms, T2* : 20 - 30 ms. All T1-values of the examined objects (except for potatoes and skins of citrus fruits) were longer than T1 values of human tissues. Also T2 values (except for pears and skins of citrus fruits) of the fruits and the potatoes tended to be longer. T2* values of apples, pears and potatoes were shorter than in healthy human tissue. Results show relaxation values of many fruits to be not exactly fitting to human tissue, but with suitable selection of the fruits and optionally with an adaption of measurement parameters one can achieve suitable contrast and signal characteristics for some purposes.
authors.affiliation: Sektion für Experimentelle Radiologie, Abteilung für Diagnostische und Interventionelle Radiologie Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Deutschland.
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Werz
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.forename: Dominik
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vitha
authors.forename: Graziano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bruno
authors.forename: Petros
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Martirosian
authors.forename: Günter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Steidle
authors.forename: Fritz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schick
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue; D001826:Body Fluids; D002957:Citrus; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation*; D027845:Malus; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D031989:Pyrus; D011198:Solanum tuberosum; D013997:Time Factors