How is AI Revolutionizing Food Processing?

The food and beverage industry is a very high volume and low margin industry, therefore finding new ways to gain a little increase in efficiency can make a huge difference.

Fremont, CA: Some of the largest food processing companies are inclining towards artificial intelligence (AI) technology to enhance various aspects of the process. AI is being explored in many ways by the industry players in this sector. There are many applications of AI that are relatively specific to food processing and preparation, but there are many general uses that directly or indirectly impact the industry. For instance, AI-improved weather forecasting is leveraged by the farmers and transportation companies to enhance yields and reduce shipping costs that impact food manufacturers' costs.

Here are the top AI applications in the food and beverage industry.

Improved Sorting

Among the manufacturing facilities, one challenge that is relatively unique to food processing plants is that the feedstock is sometimes not uniform. Every orange, carrot, tomato, potato, apple, and so on is slightly different. A plant might need to sort millions of a particular vegetable based on size, shape, and color.

[vendor_logo_first]According to a food sorting technology leader, previously 90 percent of all food sorting was carried out with manual labor. Now a substantial amount of that sorting has been automated. This automation created a considerable reduction in labor costs, an increase in speed, and improving yields.

Deciding What New Products to Make

Food processing is relatively unique in being one sector where companies can provide an endless variety of options given all the flavors, spices, and ingredients. Recipes can be tweaked in an unimaginable number of ways. Figuring out precisely what the customers want is an enormous challenge, and companies turn to AI to help with that process. This is just one way the sector is using AI. Artificial intelligence is now informing one of the world's largest food companies which new products they should create.

Improved Food Safety Compliance

Having cameras in the kitchen or food facility to watch and ensure that individuals wear masks or hair protection when required by safety regulations. Violations can be caught and corrected in near real-time. AI object recognition can be used for numerous applications ranging from fight IP privacy to automatic checking license plates, and so on.

See also: Top Artificial Intelligence Companies