IFF launches AI platform to cut F&B concept development from weeks to minutes

International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) has launched Concept Muse, an AI-powered platform designed to help food and beverage manufacturers identify market opportunities and develop product concepts using consumer insights, market intelligence, and technical expertise. 

The global player in the food, fragrance, and bioscience industries has introduced the proprietary AI platform to accelerate the early stages of F&B product development, from identifying market opportunities to generating new product concepts. 

The platform combines IFF’s consumer insights, flavor expertise, and market intelligence with generative AI to produce concepts based on simple prompts. 

Outputs include product narratives, visual mockups, and suggested technologies, giving manufacturers a starting point for exploring new formulations and potential market opportunities.

AI targets faster concept development

The launch comes as F&B manufacturers face increasing pressure to respond to changing consumer preferences while shortening innovation timelines. Identifying relevant trends and translating them into commercially viable products can involve lengthy research and development processes. 

IFF says Concept Muse can help reduce the time between initial inspiration and concept development, moving work that might otherwise take weeks into a matter of minutes.

“Food and beverage innovation has always been a balance of art and science. Now digital transformation is adding a powerful new dimension to that equation,” says Benjamin Mattei, vice president of intelligence and digital transformation for IFF Taste.

“Concept Muse is where AI meets human imagination to unlock new possibilities. It helps accelerate innovation, translate insights into exciting new concepts, and enables manufacturers to push beyond conventional thinking.”

AI meets human expertise

However, IFF positions the platform as a tool to support, rather than replace, human involvement in product development. Its outputs are intended to be assessed and refined by specialists who can evaluate their technical relevance, market suitability, and potential for further development.

“The value of Concept Muse does not come from simply pressing ‘generate’. It comes from the expertise behind it: how IFF experts frame the challenge, select the right inputs, critically evaluate the outputs, and continuously refine the results. It is human-guided, not on autopilot,” explains Mimi Sherlock, vice president of global human futures for IFF Taste. 

“AI expands the range of possibilities, while human intelligence provides relevance, credibility, and direction.”

IFF recently demonstrated the platform at its customer event, FirsTaste, where experts used it to develop concepts collaboratively with customers, adapt ideas for specific brands and markets, and explore opportunities informed by the company’s proprietary trend intelligence and consumer research.

Wider digital strategy

The demonstrations highlighted potential applications beyond initial brainstorming, including tailoring product ideas to different market requirements and using consumer insights to inform concept development.

Concept Muse also forms part of IFF’s wider investment in digital tools for customer collaboration. Another recent development is Kaleido Immersive Spaces, an immersive environment designed to bring together customers and technical experts through visual storytelling and sensory experiences involving taste and aroma.

Together, these initiatives reflect the growing role of digital technologies in the early stages of F&B innovation.