Mars expands AI-driven food research

AI is no longer confined to chatbots and content tools. In the food and beverage sector, companies are utilising advanced AI systems to forecast consumer trends, expedite product development, and explore new ingredients for future products.

Mars, the multinational behind brands such as Dolmio, Pedigree, and Mars bars, is using AI to support its health and sustainability goals. Darren Logan, vice president of research at the Mars Advanced Research Institute, said the company is exploring plant compounds and alternative proteins.

Fermentation is also expanding Mars’ ingredient research by generating new chemical compounds through interactions between plants and microbes. Logan said combining plants with microbes increases chemical diversity, producing substances that would not otherwise exist.

The chocolate manufacturer partnered with UC Davis spin-out PIPA and its AI research platform LEAP to support this work. The system constructs knowledge graphs utilising scientific literature, databases, and the company’s proprietary data to establish connections between ingredients, microbes, and human health.

Logan said the platform helps reduce the time and cost of experimentation by guiding researchers towards more promising test options. Human oversight remains central to every AI-assisted decision.

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