Bake Off Finalist Explores Chemistry in Culinary Creations

Dr. Josh Smalley, a finalist from the 2023 Great British Bake Off, is driven by two primary interests: baking and science. He is professionally a chemist at the University of Leicester. Following his appearance in series 14 of Bake Off, Mr. Smalley has utilized his culinary talents to “inspire and educate the next generation” in scientific disciplines. This initiative led him to the University of Nottingham, where he collaborated with scientists from the Nanoscale and Microscale Research Centre (nmRC) to delve into nanoscience and its potential applications in baking. Mr. Smalley obtained a unique magnified view of his festive baked goods, employing a powerful microscope to analyze the structural composition of his Christmas cake and other desserts, and to discern the differences between vegan and non-vegan sweet treats. The images of Mr. Smalley’s bakes were generated using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). This technique operates by directing a beam of negatively charged particles, known as electrons, across the material’s surface, producing high-resolution images that can reveal details as small as a few nanometres. To illustrate, one nanometre is approximately 100,000 times smaller than the width of a single human hair. Mr. Smalley stated: “I think the benefits of learning about this is just seeing how, when we’re using substitutes in some of our baking, can we still get the same effect at the end? Because we still want the same experience as a consumer.” Each minute piece of meringue was coated with gold particles to render it conductive for the electrons. Luke Norman, a knowledge exchange fellow at the University of Nottingham, reported that the outcomes “completely surprised” him, observing that the vegan meringue was “completely different in structure.” He elaborated that this form of innovative science helps everyone understand the world around them because “every single property of a material comes right to that atomic level.” He further added: “Everyone knows about baking and knows what things should taste like and look like, but things look so much different at that microscopic level.” Mr. Smalley currently holds the position of science communication champion at the University of Leicester, where he contributes to chemistry education through the medium of baking. “I’m really hoping to inspire the next generation and just open their eyes to science in the real world and see how important science is in everything we do,” he concluded. For updates, follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Story ideas can be submitted to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp at 0808 100 2210. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not accountable for the content of external sites. Information regarding their approach to external linking is available for review.