McCormick and IBM to use AI for flavour and food product development

US-based spices and seasoning manufacturer McCormick is collaborating with information technology company International Business Machines (IBM) to use artificial intelligence (AI) for developing flavour and food products.

The company’s global workforce will make use of IBM Research AI for Product Composition to explore, learn and predict new flavour combinations from data points across the areas of sensory science, consumer preference and flavour palettes.

McCormick is planning to launch its first AI-enabled product platform, named ‘One’, later this year, with a set of initial one-dish Recipe Mix flavours including Tuscan Chicken, Bourbon Pork Tenderloin and New Orleans Sausage.

McCormick chairman, president and CEO Lawrence Kurzius said: “McCormick’s use of artificial intelligence highlights our commitment to insight-driven innovation and the application of the most forward-looking technologies to continually enhance our products and bring new flavours to market.

“This is one of several projects in our pipeline where we’ve embraced new and emerging technologies.”

The platform was developed to deliver flavours with the ability to season both the protein and vegetables. Seasoning blends are expected to be available on retail shelves in the US by late spring.

With the One platform and several other projects in the pipeline, McCormick’s product developers aim to use AI to unlock creativity, access new insights and share data with other companies around the world.

The company intends to scale this technology globally by 2021.

IBM vice-president for industry research Kathryn Guarini said: “IBM Research’s collaboration 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 AI capabilities, we are working together to unlock the bounds of creativity and transform the food and flavour development process.”