How Artificial Intelligence is Changing the Food Industry Gamut for Good?
The food industry is just one of many areas where artificial intelligence has changed the way we perceive the world. The idea of automation is not new to the food industry, as e-noses and e-tongues revolutionized the idea of artificial intelligence simulations back in the 1980s. Since then, the food industry has not shied away from utilizing artificial intelligence for its benefit and advancement.
AI is now widely used in the research and development of new products and technologies. For example, Rio Bravo Brewing Company, LLC. created a new beer called Algorithm using a recipe developed by ChatGPT. Similar to this, HELL ENERGY launched its first AI-powered beverage that was developed and tested end-to-end with the help of technology.
Customers have long complained about how hard it is to find plant-based foods with a similar feel when compared to their animal-based counterparts. Businesses have benefited because of AI as these technologies create recipes that are able to mimic the expected taste. Climax Foods was successful in creating a plant-based casein that perfectly matched the taste, texture, and other characteristics of an animal-based casein at the same price. Their AI-enabled precision fermentation process helped shorten the processing time, use less water, and use machine learning to choose the best procedure and ingredients.
ofi uses AI-driven research to comprehend regional flavors and offer fusion to customers all over the world. Israeli startup MAMAY Technologies Ltd. uses artificial intelligence to comprehend the objective sweetness of ingredients. Customers can receive personalized products based on their taste preferences by using the flavor scale.
Many brands have collaborated to test various procedures and ingredients created with AI for efficiency and performance.
– CULT Food Science collaborated with Alcheme Bio to use a flavor optimization platform for its cell-cultivated products, which range from coffee to performance gummies.
– NotCo and The Kraft Heinz Company collaborated to develop plant-based foods using proprietary AI algorithms. Using the same technology, they introduced plant-based mayonnaise earlier this year and plant-based cheese slices in October 2022.
– ADM and Brightseed collaborated to develop AI-powered synbiotics. The companies intend to investigate the effects of various dietary plants on the gut microbiome using technology and data.
Many food industry players are still figuring out how and where to use artificial intelligence to speed up the process and improve the efficiency of their products. Ingredient formulation could be an interesting area where AI can greatly assist. This trend will only accelerate in the coming years. The intriguing aspect is how and in what segments this will leave its long-lasting imprint and to what extent it will replace the manual processes.