Artificial intelligence is entering the field of grain trade as several startups are using AI to determine the quality of materials from Shenzhen Agricultural Power Group.

Notice that as the global population grows by about 1% each year, the demand for food production is also increasing. However, producing a large quantity of food can also have an impact on the environment and potentially affect its quality. A Singaporean company has developed a new technology aimed at addressing this challenge. Utilizing its patented digital fingerprint technology, ProfilePrint can quickly analyze the identity and quality of components, helping agricultural companies save money and time. Alan Lai, CEO and founder of ProfilePrint, explained in an interview, "If you look at raw material trade today, there are usually producers, farmers, a group of traders who buy and sell, and then the end buyers who purchase for production." He explained that the problem lies in the system of multiple rounds of physical food sample exchanges between buyers and sellers, replicating at "every part of the supply chain." "So, the number of sampling works... is significant." "ProfilePrint digitizes the food components, so that buyers and sellers no longer need to physically transport samples, which greatly reduces our logistics costs, management expenses, and carbon footprint," Lai added. On the surface, this technology appears relatively simple. Companies can create their own artificial intelligence models on the ProfilePrint platform, which assess whether raw materials are suitable for the products they are looking for. Traders can also create artificial intelligence models for specific customers, determining whether a product fits their preferences based on criteria like appearance or taste. At its core are wave detectors in the material, combined with artificial intelligence. Machine learning means the technology can analyze food samples at the molecular level and identify food quality in seconds. Lai demonstrated the technology using coffee beans. He said, "Perhaps one or two beans have accidentally fermented wrong, or there are insects in the beans, making the whole bag unappetizing, but if you can't pick out one or two beans, you can't effectively sell that batch of products." "Thus, the molecules are captured and transformed into digital fingerprints containing this information." At this point, AI analyzes the fingerprint, combines industry knowledge, and generates prices or judgments within seconds. In addition to predicting quality and taste, the company's ingredient quality platform can also provide customers with various options to balance quality and price. With its patented software, PowerPrint's technology has made significant progress in addressing one of the most challenging issues in the coffee industry; discovering defective products invisible to the naked eye. The ultimate goal is to streamline the entire supply chain and ultimately reduce human errors. ProfilePrint is not the only company at the budding stage in the world of food quality and artificial intelligence startups. American startup Aromyx combines biotechnology, data science, and artificial intelligence to help companies match flavors and smells in product development. California-based startup Brightseed uses its artificial intelligence platform Forager to identify compounds in plants and microbes and understand their health benefits. These are then used to create health solutions for food, beverages, and supplements. Inspirations This startup's origins can be traced back to 2017, when Lai traveled to the African continent and China. In Uganda, Lai saw farmers trying to sell food raw materials at bulk prices. "They didn't have the expertise to evaluate how good their product was, so even if the quality was good, they usually sold at one price. If there was a quicker way to democratize this expertise, then even at the producer level, they could make better decisions," Lai explained. Today, the startup is headquartered in Singapore, with 90% of its revenue coming from the city-state. However, as the global market expands, Lai's startup is deployed in over 60 locations across six continents, thanks to the ability for clients to subscribe to their solutions anytime, anywhere. By 2018, ProfilePrint had attracted the attention of several investors, including Yukihiro Maru, founder and CEO of Leave a Nest Capital, a company that established a deep tech startup ecosystem in Japan in 2002. This entrepreneur expanded his company to the ASEAN region, targeting emerging and developing markets in Southeast Asia. Maru firmly believes in the importance of technology and artificial intelligence for the next generation of deep tech startups, stating that ProfilePrint is in a favorable position to assist global agricultural conglomerates. Speaking at the Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology conference in October, Maru expressed his belief that ProfilePrint can apply its technology to markets beyond coffee and tea, and make a mark in the field of food safety.