INFORM April 2026

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INFORM 13

From olive mills to biomass reactors, AI is redefining process optimization and automation in the fats and oils sector. Across the fats and oils industry, researchers are facing the same challenges: Processes are messy, nonlinear, and expensive to optimize. Traditional trial-and-error experiments can take months or years, demand expensive pilot facilities, and generate large, difficult-to-interpret datasets. Variables interact in complex ways that defy conventional data analysis tools. At the same time, manufacturers need equipment that can sense changing conditions and instantly adapt to maintain quality and efficiency. Against this backdrop, many industry leaders are partnering with a new type of process engineer: artificial intelligence (AI). In recent years, AI-driven tools, from machine-learning models to embedded optimization chips, have begun to automate decisions once left to expert operators, accelerating discovery and reshaping how fats and oils are processed, from edible oils to biofuels.