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

One full scholarship is available in the School of Food Science and Nutrition in 2024. This scholarship is open to UK and covers UK tuition fees plus UKRI maintenance per year (£17,668 in 2022/23). Please note that international applicants are welcome to apply but would need to cover the difference in international tuition fees.

This fully funded PhD place provides an exciting opportunity to pursue postgraduate research in a range of fields relating to Food Science, Nutrition and Data Analytics with the industry partner Mondelez International.

The award is open to full-time candidates who have been offered a place on a PhD degree at the School of Food Science and Nutrition and in collaboration with Mondelez International as part of the Food Consortium Collaborative Training Partnership.

Many of the potentially beneficial, health-promoting or functional compounds present in the raw materials of chocolate are negatively impacted through the subsequent processing steps involved in chocolate mass making. Cocoa alone contains more phenolic compounds than most foods, with flavonoids possessing antioxidant activity. Many studies have further evaluated the potential health benefits of cocoa products and their contribution to preventing chronic diseases. However, it has also been demonstrated that the chocolate making process of fermentation, drying, roasting, refining, conching and tempering leads to a loss or reduction in many of the antioxidant, bioactive and flavonoid compounds. Polyphenol content has been documented to reduce ten times from its original content during chocolate production and certain flavonoids are almost completely lost. Overall antioxidant activity has also been demonstrated to significantly reduce during the process of conching. However, it is hypothesised that through optimal processing, compounds of interest such as phenolic compounds could be retained in the chocolate. However, the links between phenolic compounds and processing conditions is complex and new data analysis methods are required to understand the relationships. The interest of the project therefore lies in evaluating traditional and novel processes that facilitate the retention of key compounds within chocolate and respective ingredients using artificial intelligence (machine learning) methods. It is also believed that improving the process at critical points during cocoa pre-treatment will mitigate many of the undesirable losses further down in the process and machine learning methods can identify the optimal processing conditions.   

The PhD will aim to determine a collated portfolio detailing the most important components of chocolate and related ingredients to provide health, wellbeing (e.g., superior nutrition), or functional (e.g., extended shelf-life) interest from literature review. Evaluate the potential benefits using legitimate ingredients and identify optimal processing routes for their respective retention using machine learning methods, whilst being respectful to potential new nutritional challenges.  

This will be supported by practical studies to:

1. Develop a chocolate or confectionery snack with the best nutritional / functional profile
2. Develop machine learning (a type of AI) models to 1) predict the nutritional/function profile of chocolate or confectionary snack products; 2) Determine the optimal processing conditions to maximize the nutritional/functional profile
3. Demonstrate at least one beneficial effect based on the main nutritional improvement. As an example, an area of investigation could be interest in cocoa fibres and/or polyphenols.

Information about the Award

• We are offering 1 full-time PHD scholarship in the School of Food Science and Nutrition for one UK candidate, covering a maintenance grant of £17,000 per year and UK tuition fees for three years, subject to satisfactory progress.
• Full-time (4 years). The award will be made for one year in the first instance and renewable for a further period of up to three years, subject to satisfactory academic progress.

Other Conditions

• Applicants must not have already been awarded or be currently studying for a doctoral degree.
• Awards must be taken up by 1st October 2023.
• Applicants must live within a reasonable distance of the University of Leeds whilst in receipt of this scholarship.

How to apply

Formal applications for research degree study should be made online through the University’s website. Please state clearly in the research information section that the research degree you wish to be considered for is Designing chocolate products with enhanced health, wellbeing and technical performance using artificial intelligence as well as Professor Nik Watson as your proposed supervisor.

If English is not your first language, you must provide evidence that you meet the University’s minimum English language requirements.

Entry requirements

Applicants to research degree programmes should normally have at least a first class or an upper second class British Bachelors Honours degree (or equivalent) in an appropriate discipline. The criteria for entry for some research degrees may be higher, for example, several faculties, also require a Masters degree. Applicants are advised to check with the relevant School prior to making an application. Applicants who are uncertain about the requirements for a particular research degree are advised to contact the School or Graduate School prior to making an application.

Applicants to this scholarship in the School of Food Science and Nutrition are expected to hold a Bachelor’s Hons degree in a relevant subject (2.1 or above or equivalent) or a good honours degree together with a Master’s degree. Applicants who are uncertain about the requirements for a particular research degree are advised to contact the School or Graduate School prior to making an application.

English language requirements

The minimum English language entry requirement for research postgraduate research study is an IELTS of 6.5 overall with no individual skill band below 6.0 in each component (reading, writing, listening and speaking) or equivalent. The test must be dated within two years of the start date of the course in order to be valid. Some schools and faculties have a higher requirement.