Telefónica and the University of Barcelona apply big data to the field of gastronomy for the first time with Appetit
Telefónica R+D and the University of Barcelona signed a collaboration and technology transfer agreement which will promote research on big data in the field of gastronomy and culinary sciences. The agreement includes the ceding of Appetit, the first app that helps cooks to get inspired and create new culinary proposals through the analysis of more than 100.000 recipes from around the world.
Telefónica R+D and the University of Barcelona signed a collaboration and technology transfer agreement which will promote research on big data in the field of gastronomy and culinary sciences. The agreement includes the ceding of Appetit, the first app that helps cooks to get inspired and create new culinary proposals through the analysis of more than 100.000 recipes from around the world.
Therefore, Telefónica R+D gives the University of Barcelona the app development rights, which will be in the new research line of computational gastronomy -an emergent discipline taking care of the big data analysis in the field of gastronomy- in the Food and Nutrition Torribera campus (UB) in Santa Coloma de Gramenet. The campus will use, modify and adapt Appetit for academic and research uses in the fields of culinary sciences.
In the signature ceremony there was the participation of the Rector of the University, Dídac Ramírez, the General Director of Telefónica in Catalonia, Kim Faura, the Mayor of Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Núria Parlon, the General Director of Telefónica R+D, David del Val, and the Director of the Food and Nutrition Torribera Campus, Màrius Rubiralta.
Appetit, the key in computational gastronomy
Appetit, first developed at the center of Telefónica R+D in Barcelona, is a website app with which people can combine ingredients with the food bridging technique -which allows looking for connections between ingredients through a mathematic process, and create new culinary proposals. Through the big data analysis for more than 100.000 recipes around the world, among which there are data from El Bulli, The Flavor Bible, the Book of Affinities or MyRecipies.com, Appetit creates a network of ingredients and suggests relations between different foods in order to create combinations.
Appetit suggests new combinations to ease the culinary creation process. It works like an inspiration engine which -using big data analysis- creates a network of food with the frequency they appear together in the same recipe, and explores possibilities to change ingredients in a recipe or creates new combinations out of these specific ingredients.
Users have also -thanks to the big data- a comprehensive list of foods that groups them into categories, with descriptions, high resolution photographs and information about food intolerances.
The new app development aims to implement new functions through the data science or the natural language process for example, making it a work tool and spreading its use in the fields of food and health, as well as a tool for the general public.
Appetit presentation video. Credit: Telefónica