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The job of a lifetime is currently on offer for those with a sweet tooth. Cambridge University in the U.K. has just posted a position on its careers website advertising for a researcher of chocolate. Chocolate lovers with a scientific mind will have the chance to apply for a job as a researcher and study for a PhD. The successful candidate will investigate the properties that make chocolate melt. Their objective will be to stop chocolate melting in warmer climes. The careers post states: "The project will investigate the factors which allow chocolate, which has a melting point close to that of the human body, to remain solid and retain qualities sought by consumers when it is stored and sold in warm climates."



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The position involves three-and-a-half years of experimenting with how chocolate melts in the mouth and in different temperatures. The university says applicants require good mathematical skills. There is a lot of science behind the consistency and melting point of chocolate. A variety of oils and fatty acids are used to control how hard or soft chocolate is when we bite into it, and when it melts. Chocolatiers spend a lot of money on research and development to get the blend right so that the chocolate melts in the mouth. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology says: "Melting is especially important because it controls how well the chocolate disperses and releases flavour onto your tongue."

Sources:

  • http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-28787676
  • http://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/4702/
  • http://chocolate.mit.edu/science/

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