Digital Food Manufacturing: AI as an Enabler of Modeling and Simulation

Event organized by University of Parma.

Speakers

Prof. Ashim Datta, Cornell University
Introduction by Prof. Sara Rainieri, University of Parma

Session Overview

Digital transformation and AI are among the megatrends in food manufacturing, and they often require computer models of food processes for simulation on the back end. Past computer models of physical processes were mechanistic (physics-based, as opposed to data-driven), providing deep insight and superior extrapolation capability. However, multiphysics models tend to be too complex to be realistic, which makes them slower to develop. More critically, their long runtimes make real-time use in process design, optimization, and control largely impractical.

An AI-based surrogate model that replaces the complex mechanistic model and greatly slashes runtime is a gamechanger, enabling real-time use. Industry applications of surrogate models include process and product optimization, accelerated product development, reduced development cost, digital twins, supply chain management, scale-up, and 3D printing. Surrogate models can speed up model-based prediction by a factor of 1000 or more — suddenly, models can become the tool they were always meant to be. Such surrogate models are built from simulation results generated by the mechanistic model. To faithfully represent the original food process, the surrogate models are validated against mechanistic model outputs, which are themselves validated against experimental data. There are several approaches to building surrogate models; we developed reduced-order surrogates. Through systematic evaluation of dimensionality-reduction techniques and sequence-learning architectures, Transformer-based networks emerged as the most effective, demonstrating the ability to reproduce the full spatiotemporal evolution of temperature, moisture, and deformation fields with near-perfect accuracy and several orders-of-magnitude speedup. Data generation appears to be the largest bottleneck in surrogate model building. An entire support industry is emerging to help food industry build such surrogate models for eventual use on the process floor, as was evident at a recent food-industry meeting on this topic. Finally, I will touch on recently developed resources for capacity building in this modeling space for industry and academia. I also hope to have some brainstorming with industry personnel at the end of my talk.

Speaker Bios

Ashim Datta is a professor in the Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University, New York. He is interested in the physics of food processes in a food manufacturing context; in particular, physics-based models of food process, quality, and safety that can be used for industrial design. His research group has been developing a comprehensive framework for this physics and its modeling. His current projects are focused on building crowdsourced resources for food process simulation that includes a properties knowledge base, software, and approaches for faster simulation (surrogate modeling in particular), and a modular web-based food physics and modeling course for everyone. Datta is building community resources (course and training material) in food process modeling and simulation that is freely available to industry and academia. Datta is a Fellow of American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers and Institute of Food Technologists and has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association of Engineering and Food.

Sara Rainieri is Full Professor of Applied Physics at the University of Parma, Italy. Her research focuses on heat transfer, thermofluid dynamics, and the experimental and numerical analysis of thermal processes, with particular emphasis on applications in Food Engineering and Food Processing. She has coordinated several national and international research projects, mainly focused on heat transfer enhancement and the development of innovative, energy-efficient thermal systems tailored to the needs of the food industry.

The event will be held in English

Italian translation available (read below)