Think of AI in healthcare, and chances are you think of uses such as clinical decision support and pharma research.

But one beauty of AI is its seemingly infinite applicability, so it shouldn’t be surprising that AI is being tapped to parse the possibilities in plant-based food development.  Specifically, Danone North America, a leader in plant-based food and beverage, has partnered with Brightseed, a biosciences and AI company, to “unlock health benefits from plants at an unprecedented speed”, using AI which they say is set to usher in a new era of discovery and precision nutrition.

“Brightseed’s artificial intelligence technology gives us deep insight into the plant kingdom, finds nutrients that we know are important for promoting health, and accelerates the validation of these findings,” explained Takoua Debeche, SVP Research & Innovation at Danone North America, in a recent statement. 

Brightseed’s work focuses on combining AI with biomedical processes to fully unlock the benefits of plants for human health. For example, Brightseed says it is indexing the world’s edible plants and their phytonutrients, i.e., the small molecules produced by plants that can positively impact the optimal functioning of the human body. Less than one percent of existing phytonutrients have been identified or studied, despite their prevalence in diets and traditional usage worldwide. 

The company will leverage its AI-powered approach to profile key plant sources for Danone North America with the goal of revealing previously unknown health and nutrition benefits.  Currently, for example, Brightseed is identifying potential new molecular connections between certain compounds present in Danone’s raw soy and newfound health benefits previously unlinked to soy.

“At Brightseed we believe that we’re at the tipping point of significantly activating food for health and wellness. We analyze plants at the molecular level in order to understand the specific roles that nutrients play in the proper functioning of our bodies,” said Sofia Elizondo, co-founder and COO of Brightseed. 

According to Danone, the “partnership comes at a moment when health and wellness are at the forefront of the consumer mindset, and the demand for plant-based food is skyrocketing. Additionally, consumer preferences have evolved as more flexitarians and dairy lovers are including more plant-based options into their daily routines. Incorporating a variety of plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes into a balanced diet can contribute a multitude of health benefits. These foods are high in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and valuable phytonutrients that companies like Brightseed are uncovering in plant sources.”