International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF), a global leader in flavours, fragrances and biosciences, has introduced CONCEPT MUSE, an artificial intelligence-powered platform designed to accelerate new product development in the food and beverage industry.
Launched on November 12, 2026, the proprietary platform combines consumer insights, market intelligence and flavour expertise to help manufacturers identify emerging opportunities and develop innovative product concepts. Using simple instructions, the system can generate product ideas, descriptions, visual presentations and suggestions for suitable technologies.
According to IFF, CONCEPT MUSE can significantly reduce the time required during the early stages of product development, enabling manufacturers to move from initial ideas to detailed concepts in minutes rather than weeks.
The development comes as food and beverage companies face increasing pressure to introduce innovative products while responding to rapidly changing consumer preferences. Manufacturers must continually explore new flavours, ingredients, formulations and product formats to remain competitive in the market.
Benjamin Mattei, Vice President of Intelligence and Digital Transformation for IFF Taste, said the integration of artificial intelligence with human creativity could open new possibilities for food and beverage innovation. The technology allows manufacturers to explore unconventional ideas while drawing upon established scientific knowledge and consumer research.
However, IFF emphasised that artificial intelligence would not replace human expertise in product development. The platform has been designed to support specialists who evaluate, refine and develop the concepts generated by the system.
Mimi Sherlock, Vice President of Global Human Futures for IFF Taste, explained that the effectiveness of the technology depends on how experts define development requirements, select appropriate information and assess the resulting concepts. Human involvement remains essential in ensuring that proposed products are relevant, practical and commercially meaningful.
IFF recently demonstrated CONCEPT MUSE at its FirsTaste customer event, where company experts worked with customers to develop new concepts, adapt product ideas for individual brands and identify emerging market opportunities.
The launch forms part of IFF’s broader digital transformation strategy, which also includes KALEIDO Immersive Spaces, a collaborative environment combining visual storytelling with sensory experiences involving taste and aroma.
For food and beverage manufacturers, such technological developments could create opportunities to explore new flavours, product categories and consumer preferences more efficiently, while retaining the scientific expertise and practical evaluation required before commercial production.