BBSRC CTP: Designing chocolate products with enhanced health, wellbeing and technical performance using artificial intelligence

This fully funded 4-year PhD scholarship provides an exciting opportunity to pursue postgraduate research in Food Science, Nutrition and Data Analytics in collaboration with industry partner Mondelez International. The project focuses on evaluating traditional and novel processes that facilitate the retention of key compounds within chocolate using artificial intelligence and machine learning methods. Many beneficial health-promoting compounds present in raw chocolate materials are negatively impacted through processing steps. The research aims to determine optimal processing routes to retain phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and other bioactive compounds that provide health, wellbeing, and functional benefits. The student will develop machine learning models to predict nutritional profiles and determine optimal processing conditions, while also developing chocolate or confectionery snacks with enhanced nutritional profiles. The project includes a placement at a Mondelez UK site where the student will access chocolate pilot plant facilities to experiment with technologies and develop prototypes based on their machine learning models.