This Singapore-based startup employs AI technology to assess the quality of ingredients, ranging from coffee beans to milk.

• ProfilePrint's digital fingerprint technology quickly analyzes ingredient identity and quality, saving agribusinesses time and money.
• The Japanese deep tech startup ecosystem has taken notice of the Singapore tech startup.
• ProfilePrint's technology has the potential to go beyond coffee and tea and contribute to enhancing food security.

The world has more mouths to feed than ever before.

The increase in the global population by about 1% annually leads to a rise in food demand. However, producing more food can have negative environmental consequences and affect its quality.

One Singapore-based company has developed new technology which aims to address this challenge.

ProfilePrint's digital fingerprint technology quickly analyzes ingredient identity and quality, saving agribusinesses time and money.

"According to Alan Lai, CEO and founder of ProfilePrint, when examining the raw ingredient trade today, there are three main groups: farmers as producers, traders who buy and sell, and end buyers who purchase to manufacture."

The issue, as he explained, is the practice of exchanging physical food samples between buyers and sellers in multiple rounds, which is replicated throughout the entire supply chain.

He stated that the amount of sampling work is considerable.

Lai stated that ProfilePrint digitizes food ingredients, eliminating the need for physical sample shipping, resulting in a reduction in logistics costs, overheads, and carbon footprint.

On the surface, ProfilePrint's technology appears to be relatively straightforward. Through its platform, companies can create AI models to evaluate whether raw ingredients are suitable for their specific needs. Additionally, traders can develop AI models tailored to individual clients to determine if the product aligns with their preferences, taking into account factors such as appearance and taste.

The technology analyzes food samples at a molecular level and recognizes food quality within seconds, thanks to a wave detector in the materials and machine learning.

Lai demonstrated the technology by using coffee beans.

If we cannot identify the cause of the beans' bad taste, we will not be able to sell them effectively.

"The digital fingerprint captures and converts the information of the molecules."

In seconds, AI analyzes fingerprints to generate a price or judgment, utilizing industry expertise.

The company's ingredient quality platform can provide clients with options for balancing quality and price while predicting flavor and quality profiles.

PowerPrint's technology has revolutionized the coffee industry by detecting defective products that are invisible to the human eye with its patented software.

Streamlining the supply chain to eliminate human error.

Aromyx, a U.S.-based startup, utilizes biotechnology, data science, and artificial intelligence to assist businesses in matching flavors and scents for product development, similar to Profile Print within the food quality and AI startups industry.

In California, Brightseed utilizes its AI platform, Forager, to identify plant and microbe compounds and their health benefits. These discoveries are then employed to develop health solutions for the food, beverage, and supplement industries.

Global inspiration

The startup was founded in 2017 by Lai, who traveled through Africa and China.

In Uganda, Lai observed farmers attempting to sell food ingredients at wholesale prices.

"The lack of expertise to assess product quality hinders their ability to sell at different prices, even if the products are of high quality. If there's a way to quickly disseminate this expertise to producers, they can make better decisions," he stated.

Lai's startup, based in Singapore, generates 90% of its revenues from the city state. However, with a global market, the company is now deployed in over 60 locations across six continents, thanks to being "digitally available that clients can subscribe to our solution anytime, anywhere in the world."

In 2018, ProfilePrint attracted the interest of multiple investors, including Yukihiro Maru, the founder and CEO of Leave a Nest Capital, a deep tech startup ecosystem that has been operating in Japan since 2002.

The entrepreneur expanded his business into Southeast Asia's emerging and developing markets in the ASEAN region.

Maru, an ardent believer in the significance of technology and AI in the future of deep tech startups, stated that ProfilePrint is uniquely positioned to assist agribusinesses worldwide.

At the Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology conference in October, Maru stated that ProfilePrint has the potential to expand its technology beyond coffee and tea and establish a presence in the food security industry.