Food is one of the most important industries on the planet. However it is generally a slow adopter of technology. This is now changing as innovative startups are starting to apply a range of technologies to the growing, production and delivery of food.
Sorting Food based upon size, shape and looks
Consumers have a low tolerance for natural variations in fresh foods. If an orange doesn’t look good, many people won’t buy it despite it being a perfectly good orange from a nutrition point of view. Research can determine what consumers consider to be high quality fresh produce. This information is fed into optically based sorting machines that can separate fresh produce based on perceived quality. Produce that doesn’t look right can then be used for processed foods thus reducing waste significantly. TOMORA Food Sorting produces a range of machines for this purpose.
The size and shape of produce can also affect the production of waste in automated production processes. Machines manufacturing French fries can struggle to deliver a consistent product because of the natural variation that potatoes have in size and shape. A machine will always try to make the same product regardless of the shape and size of the potato that went into the processing line. This uniform approach to food processing can create a great deal of unnecessary waste as you then have fries which are too short or too thin. However, if a machine is capable of identifying and then separating potatoes which are most suitable for French fries from those which are more suited to potato wedges or crisps, for instance, you have a much more efficient production line and a happier, more satisfied consumer enjoying the final product.
Making sure Employees follow personal hygiene procedures
In a food production facility, ensuring that employees follow personal hygiene guidelines is important for food safety. Chinese technology company Kankan has developed a system that uses camera to monitor workers, and then employs facial recognition and object recognition systems to determine whether workers are wearing hats and masks as required.
Improving and Developing new Products
Gastrograph AI has developed an AI platform to better understand human sensory perception. Their technology uses machine learning and predictive algorithms to model consumer flavor preferences and predict how well they will respond to new tastes. The data can be segmented into demographic groups to help companies develop new products that match the preferences of their target audience.
Anheuser-Busch InBev, the brewer of Budweiser, is using artificial intelligence to drive growth and innovation across all dimensions of its global brewing business. The company has invested in a raft of data-driven initiatives with the aim of improving everything from how it brews beer to how it manages its relationships with customers and markets its products to the public. An AI that improves the taste of Budweiser proves that anything is possible.
Cleaning Processing Equipment
Researchers at the University of Nottingham are developing a system that uses AI to reduce equipment cleaning time and resources by 20 to 40%. Self Optimising Clean in Place (SOCIP) uses ultrasonic sensing and optical fluorescence imaging to measure food residue and microbial debris in a piece of equipment and then to optimize the cleaning process. Many food and drink manufactures use “Clean in Place” systems to wash inside food processing equipment without disassembling. The systems operate “blind” therefore are designed to the worst case scenario and generally over clean resulting in waste. The researchers predict that the UK food industry will save GBP100 million annually.
Growing Better Food
There are a range of companies working on improving the quality and yield of food production.
Oaesis has developed a laser-based illumination system for indoor growing systems (a massive growth industry, particularly in large cities that want to bring production of some vegetables closer to the end user). This system replaces traditional fluorescent or LED technologies that are energy intensive and require constant monitoring for maintenance purposes. A single source of a laser light can potentially replace hundreds of fluorescent light tubes and LED lights.
Innerplant has developed a biosensor sentinel plant platform that senses individual plant changes at the molecular level, altering farmers to allow instant action to improve plant health.
Moisture Planting Technologies build smart machines that measure the moisture levels of the soil that is being planted and that self adjust the depth of planting based on the moisture level to ensure optimal seed placement depth. After planting, Yield Maps provide a feedback loop which can be used to improve yield in the future.
A new News Content Aggregator
This week I also wanted to give a shoutout to Ukufu, an Australian News Content aggregator that has just launched. Ukufu monitors and collects content from over 700 news and information websites. Their Machine Learning algorithms then analyse the text within each article, to create category based news feeds.
They are very early in user testing. They would really appreciate any feedback that you care to give. The free app can be downloaded from the app stores for Apple and Android and they can be contacted via their website.
Paying it Forward
If you have a start-up or know of a start-up that has a product, ready for market please let me know. I would be happy to have a look and give the start-up a shout out to my readers if it is something that I think they could use. If you have any questions or comments please email me via my website craigcarlyon.com
I would also appreciate it if you could forward this newsletter to anyone that you think might be interested.
Till next week.