With the given amount of spices, we have access to and use on a daily basis one might think, “There is nothing new I can create to change up the taste in my food.” Just based on our knowledge and senses we hit a wall when it comes to creating new flavours. However, this is not the case with the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) within the spice mixes and flavour field.
McCormick & Company, an already established and long-serving innovator and pioneer within the foods, ingredients, and flavours industry, have partnered up with IBM to launch its first AI-enabled product platform called ONE (IBM, 2019). McCormick is looking to start a flavour revolution by pushing the limits of different spice mixes and innovating large amounts of unique and different flavours (IBM, 2019). McCormick and IBM have worked on this platform that will be using multiple machine learning algorithms that are trained to use data points which will then be used by human product developers to create new ingredients and spice mixes (Handley, 2019). The partnership between the two companies includes McCormick providing their deep data and expertise in science and taste to be paired with the AI capabilities and technology solutions of IBM (Handley, 2019). The platform ONE has already resulted in new unique flavours that will be sold in stores, Tuscan chicken, bourbon pork tenderloin, and New Orleans sausage (Wiggers, 2019).
The implications of AI within the flavour industry is that it will rapidly further innovation to go beyond what it is now capable of (McCormick & Company, 2021). For McCormick and its workforce, AI means that they are able to explore a wider range of new flavour combinations efficiently and quickly to meet the growing market demands (McCormick & Company, 2021). Companies like McCormick can also further pursue different avenues of AI application in the food industry such as McCormick’s current endeavour in the gastronomy field to innovate and create new fusions of flavours based on the science and data that AI collects and analyses (Wiggers, 2019). How far do you think AI will go within the flavours and food industry? Will AI ultimately replace the originality of top chefs by giving them all the answers to the next best flavourful dish?
References:
Handley, L. (2019, February 5). Now A.I. might decide how your food tastes. CNBC. Retrieved September 20, 2022, from https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/04/mccormick-and-ibm-are-using-ai-to-decide-how-food-is-flavored.html
IBM. (2019, February 4). McCormick & Company and IBM announce collaboration pioneering the use of artificial intelligence in flavor and Food Product Development. IBM Newsroom. Retrieved September 20, 2022, from https://newsroom.ibm.com/2019-02-04-McCormick-Company-and-IBM-Announce-Collaboration-Pioneering-the-Use-of-Artificial-Intelligence-in-Flavor-and-Food-Product-Development
McCormick & Company. (2021, January 12). 5 ways McCormick is reinventing the art and science of flavor. 5 Ways McCormick is Reinventing the Art and Science of Flavor | Flavor Leadership. Retrieved September 20, 2022, from https://www.mccormickcorporation.com/en/news-center/blog/articles/2019/10/23/19/13/5-ways-mccormick-is-reinventing-the-art-and-science-of-flavor
Wiggers, K. (2019, February 4). IBM and McCormick blend new seasonings with ai. VentureBeat. Retrieved September 20, 2022, from https://venturebeat.com/ai/ibm-and-mccormick-stir-new-spice-blends-with-ai/
