article · FUDMA Journal of Sciences
Global food systems face pressures from population growth, climate change, and shifting consumer preferences, driving the adoption of sustainable ingredients and digital technologies. A review of 123 studies published between 2020 and 2025 highlights the increasing use of unconventional raw materials, including insects, fungi, microalgae, seaweeds, plants, and agro-waste derivatives. These ingredients provide valuable nutritional benefits and critical functional traits such as emulsification and gelation. Modern processing techniques such as ultrasound, high pressure processing, pulsed electric fields, and three-dimensional printing are supporting new product formulation. Concurrently, artificial intelligence tools, including machine learning, computer vision, and robotics, are transforming food innovation by replacing trial-and-error methods. These computational approaches accelerate bioactive compound screening, model sensory and nutritional profiles, and monitor safety in real time, shortening development timelines while improving resource efficiency and supply chain transparency despite ongoing hurdles around scaling and consumer acceptance.
Traditional food development relies heavily on time-consuming trial-and-error testing. By combining unconventional, nutrient-dense ingredients with artificial intelligence and advanced processing techniques, developers can rapidly design nutritious, sustainable food products. This shift supports global food security, improves resource efficiency, and helps create resilient supply chains capable of responding to climate challenges and expanding nutritional demands.
Food manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and product developers can apply artificial intelligence systems for automated ingredient screening, real-time safety monitoring, and formulation design. Advanced processing tools like 3D printing and high pressure processing enable novel product formats. While computational tools and processing technologies are already being deployed to reduce development cycles, the overall pipeline faces ongoing hurdles in industrial scale-up and consumer market adoption, indicating a transition phase between applied testing and broad commercial deployment.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
Global population growth, climate change, and evolving consumer demands are reshaping the food industry and intensifying the need for innovation. This review explores recent advancements in food innovation, with a particular focus on the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in emerging ingredients and new product development. A systematic analysis of 123 publications published between 2020 and 2025 was conducted to evaluate how AI and sustainable ingredient sourcing are transforming the global food system. The review highlights how unconventional ingredients such as plants, insects, fungi, microalgae, seaweeds, and agro-waste derivatives are valued for their nutritional density rich in proteins, fibres, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids as well as their techno-functional properties like emulsification, gelation, and water retention. Modern processing methods including high pressure processing, pulsed electric field, ultrasound, and 3D printing proved to be potential processes for developing new food products. AI-driven technologies such as machine learning, deep learning, computer vision, IoT, and robotic are accelerating ingredient discovery, optimising formulation, and improving transparency across food value chains. They enable efficient screening of bioactive compounds, predictive modelling of sensory and nutritional properties, and real-time monitoring of safety risks. By shifting product development from conventional trial-and-error approaches to data-driven systems, AI enhances resource efficiency, reduces development time, and supports sustainability goals. Although challenges remain in large-scale and consumer acceptance, AI-enabled systems demonstrate strong potential to shorten development timelines and enhance resilience. Therefore, AI-integrated approaches could be positioned as critical enablers in advancing sustainable ingredient transformation and new food product development.
This page summarises published work. The authoritative version sits with the publisher.
DOI: 10.33003/fjs-2026-1013-5649
Is something wrong with this record? Report it or request removal.
Discussion
Have you built on this work, tried to replicate it, or seen it applied in practice? Share what you know. Verified researchers and MARATTO™ domain experts can open a discussion, and any member can reply. Contributions are reviewed before they appear.
No discussion yet. Open the first thread.
New to MARATTO™? Create a free account.
