A product by Optagon LabsETH ZürichUniversity of California, Berkeley
Food science

Create SuperiorFood Formulations WithData-Driven Simulation

Bring us your ingredient. Backbond simulates it across thousands of customer formulations and hands you the ones where it already holds.

See the platform
Today's R&D challenge

Trial and error, balancing many conflicting constraints

A protein and fibre blend
in a GLP-1 companion shake
01

The project

A customer wants your ingredient in their product.

TARGET SolubilityGelationHeat stabilityMouthfeelTaste
02

The targets

Target properties are defined, and they conflict. Fixing one ruins another.

03

The search

Hundreds of thousands of potential formulations. With expensive trial and error, only a few extremes can be tested.

ManufacturabilityRegulatory approvalSupply chain
04

The risk

Find that formulation and it still has to clear three more. Any one can end the program.

The current trial and error process

(up to several years)

Brief

Lab trials

Spec 1 missed

Reformulate

Spec 2 missed

Reformulate

Regulatory check

Scale-up

Unscalable

Reformulate

Launch

What Backbond does

Backbond co-optimizes for all the targets simultaneously

Target
Solubility
Define a Number
Gelation
Define a Number
Heat stability
Define a Number
Mouthfeel
Define a Number
Taste
Define a Number
01

Define

The application and the targets it must hit, plus what the engine may move (pH, ionic strength, protein loading) and what it may not (cost per kg, the customer’s process line).

02

Simulate

Backbond builds thousands of digital twins and evaluates every one against the targets.

FormulationSolubilityGelationHeat stabilityMouthfeelTasteCost 1Validate2Confident3Validate4Validate5Confident
03

Rank

Ranked by the best balance across every target, and flagged by how confident Backbond is in each.

Technical properties checkManufacturabilityRegulatory approvalSupply chain
04

Test

You go to the bench with the few worth making. By default, these satisfy all targets and constraints.

The Backbond process

(weeks)

Brief

Simulation + few validation experiments

Risk-free launch

Under the hood

How Backbond simulates a formulation candidate

Four levels of physics decide what an ingredient does inside the customer's product, and Backbond reasons about how all four interplay to set every spec.

Candidates evaluated
0
Best score
0.00
Candidate 344 · locked
Design space
Every point is one version of the customer's product: a different protein loading, pH, fibre level or emulsifier system. Backbond scores all of them, learns the shape of the landscape, and walks in on the peak.
Use cases

A few example use cases

Every one is the same shape: a handful of targets that fight each other, and one formulation that has to hit them all.

01

High-fibre products

A shake must carry 12 g of fibre and not turn gritty. Find the fibre blend, particle size and hydration route that achieve the loading, while keeping mouthfeel, viscosity and cost.

02

GLP-1 companion nutrition

A meal replacement must deliver a full day's protein and micronutrients at a GLP-1 user's reduced intake. Find the protein blend, premix and serving format that achieve the profile, while keeping satiety, taste and cost.

03

Egg replacement

A meringue must foam without egg. Find the protein, pH and shear that achieve overrun, while keeping set, taste and cost.

04

Protein fortification

A ready-to-drink must carry 30 g of protein and still pour. Find the protein blend, ionic strength and stabiliser that achieve the loading, while keeping viscosity, heat stability and cost.

05

Sugar reduction

A drink must lose a third of its sugar and keep its body. Find the sweetener, bulking agent and acid balance that achieve the sweetness, while keeping mouthfeel, shelf life and cost.

06

Clean label maintenance

A sauce must drop its gums and keep its cling. Find the starch, protein and shear profile that achieve the viscosity, while keeping appearance, freeze-thaw stability and cost.

07

Heat stability

A plant-protein drink must survive UHT without gelling. Find the protein grade, ionic strength and stabiliser that achieve heat stability, while keeping viscosity, colour and cost.

08

Gut-health actives

A yoghurt must still hold live cultures at end of shelf life. Find the matrix, water activity and coating that achieve the count, while keeping texture, taste and cost.

09

Supply shocks

A recipe must survive a doubled ingredient price without a new plant trial. Find the ingredient list, loading and process that achieve the same taste and texture, while keeping shelf life, label and cost.

10

Crop and lot variability

A formulation must hold spec across harvests and suppliers. Find the specification window, blend and buffer that achieve a constant product, while keeping yield, lead time and cost.

Resources

Three briefings on AI in Food science