Top 6 Applications Of AI In Food Processing Industry
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Food Industry
Among all other sectors, the food and beverages processing industry still has not adopted revolutionizing digital technologies like AI, Machine Learning (ML), and Internet-of-Technology (IoT). The sector is progressing slowly and generating fewer contributions to the domestic and national economy.
But, since the past few years, food and beverage processing companies are highly switching to integrate AI capabilities in their systems or applications to enhance work efficiency. According to research reports, it is expected that the food processing industry will create over $150 billion business by the end of 2022 through leveraging AI capabilities.
AI technology will play a crucial role in the future of businesses across all sectors (The Significance Of AI Technology By Industry) and the food processing and handling industry is one of them. The use of Artificial Intelligence in Food Processing has been witnessing rapid growth in recent years.
Food and beverages processing companies are increasingly embracing AI technologies for improving operational efficiencies and delivering consumer products on time to catch up with the market demand opportunities. They are enjoying the benefits of AI in the Food Industry. In this article, we guide you few significant AI use cases in the food and beverages industry.
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AI Use Cases In Food and Beverages Industry
In this 21st century, modernizing food processing with AI technology is essential to balance the supply and demand, strengthen the distribution network, and build brand reliability on delivering products on time. Because a food processing company has to use AI-like technologies to fasten the production and monitor the entire inventory and warehouse operation virtually to never give a chance for a single disruption across their operations.
This is why AI in food and beverage industry has become a hot topic. Its automation and intelligence capabilities are flagging a green signal for the increasing use of artificial intelligence in the food processing industry.
Let us discuss a few popular applications of AI in food and beverage industry that assist companies in dealing with challenges related to supply, distribution and logistics, employee productivity, and warehouse management like operations.
Key Applications Of Artificial Intelligence (AI) In Food Industry
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AI In Food Industry For Sorting Raw Products
It is the best application of Artificial Intelligence in the Food Industry. Proper sorting of food products is one of the greatest challenges for the consumer products manufacturing facilities because the feedstock we receive from various farmers is not identical or uniform.
Once you have a look at the different fruits & vegetables like carrot, apple, grapes, tomato, orange, and many more will have their shapes and sizes. Food processing plants are required to segregate millions of raw products depending on color, shape, and size. Manual grading, sorting, and peeling-like functions will consume hours of the time of labor. But, the use of Artificial Intelligence in food processing operations will automate all these functions and improve work efficiency. The automation systems use various tools and technologies and offer these benefits:
- Enhancement of speed in sorting.
- Yield improvement
- Minimization of labor costs.
- Reduces wastage and improves production
Hence, food growers, packers, and processors are all using AI and IoT sensor-based advanced equipment and machinery to sort or peel several fresh food products to exploit output and reduce wastage.
For instance, TOMRA is a top sensor-based food processing machine manufacturing company in the world. It offers a range of advanced processing machinery that use AI and are embedded with IoT sensors to improve productivity and save time in sorting, peeling, and other initial operations.
Besides, a Japanese food company is also using TensorFlow machine learning technology to detect the oddities instantly in their diced potatoes. The company found that these AI systems are working more accurately beyond expectations. It became a significant advantage in their production. The company is further planning to expand AI utilization to reap all the benefits of AI in the Food Industry.
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AI in Food Industry For Ensuring Personal Hygiene
It is one of the best examples of Artificial Intelligence in the Food Industry. Since we are living in a COVID environment, all employees (who are involved in food processing) need to wear the mask, head caps, and hand gloves to ensure food safety.
As we care about our kitchen, food processing companies will also have to maintain hygiene to ensure the quality of the end products. On the other side, personal and plant hygiene is necessary to make sure that the plant is compliant with the rules and regulations of higher authorities.
The software development companies are making use of AI and ML to develop Facial recognition apps and solutions that monitor employees 24*7 to check whether they are following all hygiene protocols or not.
Hence, AI-powered facial and object recognition software solutions ensure 99.9% of accuracy in monitoring workers in real-time and taking screens of people who violate the safety precautions across the production line.
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AI in Food Industry For Decision Making
The role of artificial intelligence in food industry has a high demand for instant decision making and optimizing business results.
AI is not only helping food processing companies in making sorting processes easier and creating the best flavor combinations. The role of AI in food industry is also engaged in assisting food companies in deriving valuable insights into sales and business growth tactics.
For instance, knowing customer taste preferences and producing products that ensure new tastes and match the preferences of consumers are two big deals for food products manufacturing companies.
Here, AI comes into the picture. AI software, coupled with ML and deep learning algorithms, involves extracting useful business insights from vast data input. Based on the data related to the previous product’s demand and ingredients added in it to enrich its flavor, AI applications will create extremely new combinations that enhance the product’s tastes.
Hence, AI in food and beverage industry would help companies take immediate decisions and improve production operations.
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AI For Faster Equipment Cleaning Process
It is one of the best AI use cases in food and beverages sector. In food processing industries, maintaining proper cleanliness is the most difficult task to handle or deal with.
Most of the food processing companies say they are very much clean like white paper because most of the process involves the automation process. No human labor is involved in the processing.
The method or procedure currently we are following has no sensors by which it cannot see what is happening inside the equipment. Due to this reason, companies are designing the procedure in such a way that it should run as long as required.
Companies are modernizing food processing with AI in many ways. AI-based self-optimizing clean-in-place tools are one of them. For the testing process, it uses optical fluorescence & ultrasonic sensing imaging technologies to know how much microbial debris & food is left in the equipment or inside the device.
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Developing new products
It is a popular application of Artificial Intelligence in food industry. AI in food and beverage industry is gaining popularity for its intelligence in offering the best flavor combinations to increase sales and generate profits for companies.
Since food service industry deals will produce products in various spices, ingredients, and flavors, it is challenging for companies to manufacture products that what customers are exactly looking out for. But, advanced technologies like AI can tackle this with ease. With the help of AI in the production process, food service companies can derive the probability of customer preferences and create taste-rich products for consumers.
Yes. Most of the food processing and packaging industries use AI and produce the best products in the market.
For instance, in the USA, the world’s biggest beverages manufacturer and supplier Coca-Cola has installed self-service soft drink fountains and allowed customers to personalize their drink choice. As per their taste preferences, customers can create thousands of drinks by selecting different flavors to their base flavors.
These fountains are programmed with AI software that can process vast data sets related to consumer taste preferences. Thanks to such advanced AI technology-enabled machines. The core advantage of this AI system is it recommends new flavor combinations and lets customers enjoy a new taste.
6. Streamlining The Supply Chain
It is the best examples of Artificial Intelligence in the food industry. While automating the entire food processing functions, AI technology is widely used for making the supply chain operations compliant with the rules and regulations of the specific authorities.
This AI application for the food processing industry can modernize the supply chain operations and maintain transparency from load pickup and warehouse shifting to distribution.
Here are a few benefits of AI in supply chain management:
- AI ensures high safety across the supply chain
- AI offers a transparent supply chain management system
- Better Inventory management
- Efficient maintenance of warehouse
- Low operational costs
- 100% delivery is as scheduled
- 24/7 product monitoring
- Reduces operational downtime
- Overall, AI augments end-to-end functions
Now, we will have a brief discussion on what challenges are hampering the use and growth of AI in food and beverage industry.
Challenges Of AI In The Food Industry
Though the impact of artificial intelligence in food industry is positive way, the technology is still facing a few challenges to roll out across the global food processing and handling sector. Here are a few challenges of AI in the food industry.
- Lack of proper awareness of implementing the features of AI
- Lack of knowledge on how AI technology improves processes and assists companies in achieving business objectives.
- In the initial phase, companies are facing failures in training the AI machines, systems, and applications with the right set of data.
- Lack of proper training to employees to work along with intelligent and advanced AI applications
- Since the cost of AI implementation and integration is quite expensive, the food processing service companies are going back to adopting AI technologies for automating their processes.
These are a few core challenges of AI in the food industry. To bring a revolution in the growth of AI, the companies need to get advice from the AI development companies. Being the best AI services and solutions provider (USA, India, & UAE), USM Business systems builds an efficient and powerful automation solution for optimizing your food business.
Final Words
The benefits of AI in the Food Industry are incredible. AI will modernize the food processing industry and take it to new heights. The food industry is at its initial phase to completely adopt AI technology.
The top mobile app development service providers would help you create results-driven AI consultancy and development services and solutions.
Are you looking to integrate AI solutions to automate your food processing and packages business?
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