How the agriculture industry is using AI to buy and sell ingredients

AI revolutionizes agricultural trade: Profile Print, a Singaporean startup, has developed technology to streamline the buying and selling of food ingredients, potentially reducing costs and environmental impact in the agricultural industry.

• The company’s digital fingerprint technology quickly analyzes the identity and quality of ingredients, eliminating the need for physical sample shipments between buyers and sellers.
• Profile Print’s platform allows agribusinesses to create custom AI models to assess raw ingredients and determine if they meet specific client preferences.
• In 2024, the startup secured agreements with Brazil’s two largest coffee manufacturers and Instituto CNA, a government-backed institution representing Brazil’s agricultural sectors.

Traditional process vs. Profile Print’s solution: The current ingredient sampling process is time-consuming and resource-intensive, involving multiple rounds of physical sample exchanges between buyers and sellers.

• Traditionally, buyers require physical samples before placing orders, often necessitating two to three rounds of exchanges.
• For coffee, the conventional process involves roasting green coffee beans, grinding them to a specific size, brewing, cooling, and having a team taste the product before making purchasing decisions.
• Profile Print’s technology digitizes food ingredients, allowing buyers and sellers to assess quality without shipping physical samples.

Environmental and economic impact: By eliminating the need for physical sample shipments, Profile Print’s technology has the potential to significantly reduce logistical costs and carbon footprint in the agricultural industry.

• Agricultural businesses currently spend millions of dollars annually on shipping samples back and forth.
• The reduction in physical sample transportation could lead to decreased fuel consumption and lower greenhouse gas emissions associated with shipping.
• Streamlining the sampling process may also result in faster decision-making and more efficient trade negotiations.

Technological innovation: Profile Print’s patented digital fingerprint technology represents a significant advancement in food ingredient analysis and quality assessment.

• The technology can quickly analyze the identity and quality of ingredients, providing a digital alternative to traditional sensory evaluation methods.
• By creating digital profiles of ingredients, the platform enables more objective and consistent quality assessments across the supply chain.
• The integration of AI models allows for customized analysis based on specific client requirements and preferences.

Market potential and industry adoption: Profile Print’s recent agreements with major Brazilian coffee manufacturers and a government-backed agricultural institution signal growing interest in the technology.

• The adoption by Brazil’s largest coffee manufacturers could set a precedent for other players in the global coffee industry to follow suit.
• The involvement of Instituto CNA suggests potential for wider adoption across various agricultural sectors in Brazil, one of the world’s largest agricultural producers.
• As the technology proves its effectiveness, it may attract interest from other countries and agricultural sectors looking to optimize their supply chains.

Addressing global food challenges: Profile Print’s technology aligns with the need to improve efficiency in food production and distribution to meet growing global demand.

• With an increasing world population, there is pressure to scale up food production while minimizing environmental impact and maintaining quality.
• By reducing logistical inefficiencies, the technology could contribute to more sustainable and responsive food supply chains.
• Improved quality assessment and matching of ingredients to buyer preferences could potentially reduce food waste and improve overall product quality.

Future implications for the agricultural industry: As AI and digital technologies continue to evolve, Profile Print’s solution may be just the beginning of a broader transformation in agricultural trade and quality control.

• The success of this technology could spur further innovations in digital food analysis and virtual sampling methods across various agricultural products.
• Integration with other emerging technologies, such as blockchain for traceability or IoT for real-time monitoring, could further enhance the capabilities of such platforms.
• As the industry adopts these digital solutions, it may lead to new standards and practices in global agricultural trade, potentially reshaping traditional business models and supply chain relationships.