The food and beverage industry is experiencing a transformative shift with the introduction of a groundbreaking AI-driven microbiology platform by MOA Food. This innovative technology promises to significantly reduce the time and cost associated with new product development in food manufacturing.
According to the European biotech start-up, the Albatros platform utilizes the industry’s most comprehensive microbiology datasets, allowing companies to accelerate new product development (NPD) timelines from the typical six months to just two weeks. Such advancements are crucial, especially as food processing technology evolves to meet consumer demands.
Traditionally, developing fermentation-based products has been a lengthy and expensive endeavor, often taking years to finalize. In contrast, Albatros has demonstrated the capability to develop new ingredients from upcycled starches 75% faster than conventional methods, and at merely 5% of the standard cost.
AI-Driven Modelling
“By integrating AI-driven modelling, the platform predicts the best microbial strains and fermentation processes to maximise yield, quality, and functionality,” states founder and CEO Bosco Emparanza García. This rapid pace of innovation reflects the ongoing food and drink industry innovation that is reshaping market dynamics.
The speed of Albatros is attributed to its ability to forecast optimal microbial strains and fermentation processes, enhancing yield while maintaining high quality— a significant improvement over traditional methods that rely heavily on refined sugars and other costly inputs.
Boosting Nutritional Biomass Yield
Albatros utilizes comprehensive characterisation data from food industry byproducts, allowing it to identify the most suitable microorganisms for fermentation. By leveraging a library of 200 byproducts, the platform ensures efficient fermentation strategies that align with specific objectives, such as enhancing nutritional value or increasing biomass yield.
“We developed our groundbreaking technology to speed up the development of new bio-based sustainable products,” explains García. This aligns seamlessly with the current trends in food and drink sustainability, as companies seek responsible solutions.
Moreover, using proprietary protocols, Albatros can quickly analyze a microorganism’s DNA and, within just 10 minutes, predict its nutritional needs and how to optimize its metabolism. This groundbreaking capability unlocks vast potential for fermentation, thereby transforming the food industry.
The business has meticulously trained its AI platform using the most extensive data sets available, encompassing microbes, byproducts, metabolic models, enzymes, and experimental data. This strong foundation enables data-driven decisions at every stage, keeping pace with evolving food distribution trends.
