MCCORMICK & CO. PARTNER WITH IBM TO DEVELOP NEW FLAVORS & FOOD PRODUCTS USING A.I.
- Published | 05 February 2019
McCormick and IBM Research have created a novel AI system to help food product developers more efficiently and effectively create new flavor experiences which will drive the food flavor market globally.
Global: McCormick & Company, a global leader in flavor, and IBM announced their ongoing research collaboration to pioneer the application of artificial intelligence (AI) for flavor and food product development. The company will use IBM A.I. to predict new flavor combinations from millions of data points across the areas of sensory science, consumer preference, and flavor palettes. Using IBM Research AI for Product Composition, McCormick’s product developers will be able to more efficiently explore flavor territories.
McCormick plans to launch its first A.I.-enabled product platform, “ONE,” by mid-2019. The platform was developed to deliver popular flavors with the ability to season both protein and vegetables, McCormick said. Initial offerings will include a set of one-dish recipe mix flavors such as Tuscan Chicken, Bourbon Pork Tenderloin, and New Orleans Sausage.
Kathryn Guarini, vice-president of industry research for IBM said “IBM Research’s partnership with McCormick illustrates our commitment to helping our clients and partners drive innovation across industries. By combining McCormick’s deep data and expertise in science and taste with IBM’s A.I. capabilities, we are working together to unlock the bounds of creativity and transform the food and flavor development process.”
According to Rishi Mallarh, analyst at BlueWeave Consulting, The demand for processed food & beverages is on the rise, due to which demand for food flavors is also growing. The demand for natural food flavors is increasing significantly across all regions with rising health awareness.
McCormick & Company, Inc. is a global leader in flavor with a diverse and balanced flavor portfolio, company ideally positioned to meet the increasing demand for flavor around the world. The company manufactures markets and distributes spices, seasoning mixes, condiments, and other flavorful products to the entire food industry – retail outlets, food manufacturers and foodservice businesses.
For more than seven decades, IBM Research has defined the future of information technology with more than 3,000 researchers in 12 labs located across six continents.
As a world leader in artificial intelligence software, services, and technology for business, IBM is focused on working with clients and enterprises across many industry sectors to help advance data-driven technologies that push markets forward. Pairing McCormick's global expertise particularly that of its research and product development teams, with leading AI research helped McCormick accelerate the speed of flavor innovation by up to three times and deliver highly effective, consumer-preferred formulas. Through the ONE platform as well as several other projects in the pipeline, McCormick's product developers are now using AI to unlock creativity, access new insights and share data with their peers around the world.
According to BlueWeave consulting’s upcoming report, Titled- “Food Flavors Market by Type (Natural and Artificial) By End-User (Beverage, Savory & Snack, Bakery & Confectionery, Dairy & Frozen Product, and Animal & Pet Food) By Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East & Africa); Size and Forecast, 2018-2025,” The global food flavor market is estimated to have high growth over a forecast period. Flavors are intense preparations added to food products to stimulate or impart a characteristic taste, maintain the flavor after processing, modify an already existing flavor, and guise an undesirable flavor. The demand for natural food flavors is increasing significantly across all regions with rising health awareness. Natural flavors offer varied health benefits and are widely accepted by consumers who are ready to pay premium prices for natural foods. Moreover, other factors such as innovation of technologies, the introduction of new flavors, and heavy inflow of investment in R&D activities, boost the market growth.