Faster, Smarter Innovation – Closing the Sensory Gap
Customer Profile
A leading regional consumer packaged goods (CPG) company, operating as a division of a global food manufacturer. The company focuses on developing innovative plant-based products for mainstream consumer markets.
Challenge
For two years, the company’s R&D team had been working on a plant-based milk alternative
but struggled to match the sensory profile of dairy milk. Key challenges included:
• Prolonged iteration cycles due to reliance on external sensory panels.
• Inefficient use of internal data and knowledge.
• Difficulty integrating sensory feedback into formulation decisions in real time.
AKA Solution
The company implemented an AI-assisted product development platform
to centralize and accelerate the process. The platform integrated:
• Sensory testing with a panel of 14 trained tasters.
• Ingredient data, analytical measurements, and internal documentation.
• Predictive AI insights, delivered in real-time, guiding formulation adjustments.
• A custom AI model, trained on project-specific data and deployed on GCP, to analyze sensory results, predict outcomes, and recommend improvements.
Implementation Phases
1. Data Upload & AI Model Training – Consolidated ingredient, sensory, analytical, and documentation data into a single platform; trained a custom AI model on client-specific data.
2. Sensory Panel Integration – Embedded 14 trained tasters into the workflow for continuous feedback.
3. Iteration with Real-Time AI Guidance – Leveraged AI insights during formulation to speed up decision-making and close the sensory gap.
KPIs
• Reduced development cycle from seven to three iterations.
• Completed final formulation in two months.
• Consumer panel of 180 validated significantly improved taste and acceptance after AI-suggested flavorant reduction.
• Enhanced formulation accuracy and internal collaboration.
Broader Impact On CPG Product Development
• Accelerated prototyping cycles.
• Superior data curation and knowledge retention.
• More impactful, insight-driven formulation decisions.
• Stronger collaboration across distributed R&D teams.