How AI is Powering the Next Generation of Plant-Based Food

Artificial Intelligence, or AI for short, no longer exists strictly within the confines of tech companies and Hollywood blockbusters. Once a tenet of science fiction and futuristic horror films, artificial intelligence has been piquing the curiosity of scientists since the middle of the 20th century when Allen Newell, Cliff Shaw, and Herbert Simon unveiled the world’s first AI program aimed at proving mathematical theorems by mimicking human problem solving. But today, this field of study has rapidly evolved, becoming the hot topic on everyone’s mind—and it has come a long way from its mathematical origins. Now, AI is driving vegan innovation as plant-based companies use it to emulate the taste, texture, and functionality of animal products without the cruelty. Check out how three vegan companies are leveraging this new technology to help feed the world.

RELATED: All the Cool Companies Use AI for Healthier and Tastier Vegan Meat and Cheese

Climax Foods

Climax Foods

Their goal: Create a new generation of affordable, planet-friendly vegan foods
What they make: Hyper-realistic cheese—already adopted by food industry veterans like Michelin-starred chef Dominique Crenn—with the help of the world’s first plant-based casein
How they do it: The company’s AI-enabled Deep Plant Intelligence platform analyzes the characteristics of animal-based foods on a molecular level. “We continuously train our portfolio of machine intelligence tools to enable the plant-based recreation of any taste and texture, while optimizing for nutrition and lowering costs,” says Karthik Sekar, PhD, Head of Data Science. Employing its findings and using the vast ingredients available in the plant kingdom, Climax Foods is able to create delectable vegan cheeses—like its funky Blue and bloomy Brie varieties—that are indistinguishable from their dairy counterparts.

Meati Foods

Meati

Their goal: Harness the biotechnological power of fungi to meet the world’s sustainability and nutritional needs
What they make: Healthier, tastier, more nutritious plant-based meat
How they do it: Made from mycelium (the fast-growing root system of mushrooms), Meati’s whole-cut steaks and chicken cutlets are beloved for their realistic taste and texture. And now, the company is turning to AI to do even more. With studies showing a desire among consumers for improved meat alternatives—including increased protein and less sodium—Meati’s next phase will be to optimize the nutritional profile of its range. And its new partnership with AI food science company PIPA—allowing it to analyze vast amounts of data on the power of mycelium—will help do just that.

The Kraft Heinz Not Company

NotCo

Their goal: Create and usher in a new food industry devoid of animal foods
What they make: Ingenious formulations that replicate meat and cheese on a molecular level
How they do it: From juicy chicken patties to nostalgic Kraft mac and cheese, NotCo’s AI platform Giuseppe is helping to break away from standard industry formulations to perfect plant-based alternatives by bringing over 300,000 edible plants and billions of combinations to NotCo’s fingertips. First, Giuseppe analyzes the molecular structure of animal foods and replicates them using only animal-free ingredients—a process that has resulted in unique formulations and near-identical alternatives (think pineapple and cabbage to recreate the flavor and mouthfeel of dairy milk). The AI then generates recipes for NotCo chefs and scientists to test and provide feedback—helping Giuseppe to learn, get faster, and improve even more.