Expert systems - what can they do for the food industry?

In the food industry the conventional solution for controlling a process is manual application of subjective expert knowledge in the form of rules of thumb. Until recently, replacing the human expert by computer technology has been relatively slow in comparison with other process industries. Novel tools of artificial intelligence such as fuzzy and case-based reasoning, expert (knowledge-based) systems and neural networks offer great possibilities for the food industry, yet relatively little information on bioprocess applications has been published. Fuzzy expert systems have been shown to be a valuable tool in dealing with vague and incomplete information, and in incorporating human expert knowledge into process models and control. This paper discusses the state-of-the-art of expert systems and their potential for food-related applications. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.