NMR spectroscopy is a technique in increasing use for dairy research. It provides us with unique information that can be applied to research or to quality control of dairy samples. In addition, it is a non-destructive and very versatile technique, providing data on the same sample under different parameters. This review intends to give an overview of the type of information that can be obtained, based on some results obtained in dairy research. It includes the application of NMR for qualitative and quantitative analysis, monitoring reactions in vivo, isotopic analysis, study of the physical state of milk fat and water, structural characterization and studies on the conformational and aggregation state of proteins. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.