Table 1.

Comparison of characteristics of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy technology and mass spectrometry technology

Comparison item	NMR	MS
Sensitivity	Low, less than 100 metabolites at a time	High, more than 1000 metabolites at a time
Selectivity	Poor	Good
Targeting analysis ability	Usually used for nontargeted analysis	Targeted and non-targeted analysis
Sample preparation	Simple	Complex
Sample measurement	Completed in a single measurement	Require different chromatographic techniques
Sample recovery	Nondestructive, recyclable, and long-term preservation	Unrecyclable, less sample consuming
Repeatability	High	Low
Tissue sample	Directly without pretreatment.	Need pretreatment such as tissue extraction

NMR: Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy; MS: Mass spectrometry.