Protein particle fillers in non-aqueous media: procolate

固体在非水介质中的分散是一个具有挑战性的课题，不仅要了解颗粒之间的相互作用及其对材料性能(例如稳定性和力学性能)的影响，还需要了解此类体系的表征，例如颗粒尺寸和聚集、微观结构和内部传输特性。这个项目试图在填充脂肪基质的背景下更好地理解这类材料：添加了不溶性植物蛋白颗粒的巧克力。因此，非水相是可可脂的复杂混合物，在室温下通常是固体，但在口温下会融化，而填充物是脂类不溶的蛋白质。这将有助于开发更健康的产品，不仅糖和脂肪更低，而且蛋白质含量更高，同时保持传统巧克力的质地和融化属性，这到目前为止似乎很难实现。我们的策略将是在典型的可可脂相中测试一系列具有良好特性的亲水和疏水颗粒上的胶体颗粒行为，然后将这一理解扩展到高度纯化的植物蛋白颗粒上，最后在较低纯度的蛋白质颗粒上测试这些发现。技能/培训学生将接受以下方面的出色培训：核心软物质表征技术：剪切流变仪和纹理分析；颗粒大小测定技术，特别是在非水介质中；用于识别微量成分和聚集状态的最先进的共聚焦显微镜；最先进的低温和非低温扫描电子显微镜和透射电子显微镜技术；SAXS/WAXS技术培训，以及能够开发钻石利兹(DLS)位于钻石的特殊SAXS/WAXS设施的分析。将这些测量与感官特性联系起来将主要在雀巢(约克郡)进行，但将鼓励学生尽可能地参与这些方面的工作，以获得将此类工作转化为行业的理解和经验。这名学生将成为世界上主要的食品胶体集团的一员，并有资格加入利兹的布拉格材料科学中心。学员将有机会在位于纽约的雀巢产品技术中心糖果厂学习，也很有可能在位于洛桑的雀巢S国际研究总部学习，同时还将鼓励学生与世界各地与我们有联系的其他相关领先学术团体进行交流。

The dispersion of solids in non-aqueous media is a challenging topic, both in terms of understanding the interactions between the particles and how this affects material properties, e.g., stability and mechanical properties, but also in terms of characterization of such systems, e.g., particle size and aggregation, microstructure and internal transport properties. This project seeks to develop a better understanding of such materials in the context of a filled fatty matrix: chocolate with added insoluble plant protein particles. Thus the non-aqueous phase is the complex mixture of cocoa lipids, generally solid at room temperature but melting at mouth temperature, whilst the filler is lipid-insoluble protein. This will aid development of products that are more healthy in terms of lower sugar and fat, but also higher in protein, whilst maintaining the texture and melting attributes of traditional chocolate, which so far seems difficult to achieve. Our strategy will be to test colloidal particle behaviour on a range of well characterized hydrophilic and hydrophobic particles in a representative cocoa butter phase, then extend this understanding to highly purified plant protein particles and finally test these findings on less pure protein particle powders. Skills/training The student will receive excellent training in core soft matter characterization techniques: shear rheometry and texture analysis; particle sizing techniques- particularly in non-aqueous media;state of the art confocal microscopy for identifying trace components and the state of aggregation; state of the art cryo- and non-cryo SEM and TEM techniques; training in SAXS/WAXS techniques and analysis enabling exploitation of the special Diamond Leeds (DLS) SAXS/WAXS facility based at Diamond. Linking these measurements with sensory properties will be largely based in Nestlé (York), but the student will be encouraged to engage with these aspects as far as possible to gain understanding and experience of the translation of such work to industry. The student will be part of the major food colloids group in the world and eligible to join the Bragg Centre for Material Science at Leeds. There will be the opportunity to spend time at Nestlé Product Technology Centre Confectionery in York, and quite possibly at Nestlé's International Research Headquarters in Lausanne, plus the student will be encouraged to engage with other relevant leading academic groups around the World with which we have links.