I-Form Showcased AI-Driven Innovations at Teagasc’s Smarter Food Event

I-Form participated in Teagasc’s “Smarter Food: How Artificial Intelligence is Shaping the Future of Ireland’s Food Industry” event, held at the Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark.

The event highlighted the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies across Ireland’s agri-food sector. Together, I-Form and VistaMilk showcased their collaborative project, “Integrating Artificial Intelligence into Spray Drying: Data-Driven Process Optimisation”, led by Eoin Murphy, Dr Norah O’Shea, and Prof Denis Dowling, I-Form Centre Director.

This research is leveraging AI to optimise spray drying processes by integrating data from advanced sensors, analytics, and machine learning. The project aims to enhance powder quality, reduce energy consumption, and improve process control, supporting sustainable, efficient, and precision-driven dairy and food ingredient manufacturing.

A key highlight was the demonstration of the I-Form Recommender Platform, initially developed for additive manufacturing and now adapted for spray drying applications by Cathal Hoare, Postdoctoral Researcher at I-Form. By combining machine learning with operator feedback, the platform enables smarter, data-driven decision-making in milk powder production.

The event underscored the growing impact of AI in food processing and the importance of cross-sector collaboration in advancing Ireland’s digital food innovation ecosystem. I-Form and VistaMilk’s work exemplifies how AI can drive sustainability, efficiency, and quality in the agri-food sector.