Artificial intelligence and fermentation: applications, publications and trend analysis

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a transformative force across diverse industrial sectors, and fermentation processes are increasingly being optimized through its application in food, pharmaceutical, chemical, and biofuel production. This research aims to conduct a forecasting and publication analysis to elucidate the synergistic relationship between AI and fermentation within the broader context of this knowledge intersection. A comprehensive publication analysis was performed using the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases to characterize the most significant authorship, geographic distribution, and major institutional affiliations, as well as to quantify the research output associated with the intersection of AI and fermentation. In addition, time series forecasting was performed, using triple exponential smoothing (TES), to predict publication trends up to 2030. Furthermore, a comprehensive literature review of diverse recent applications within AI and fermentation was conducted. This study contributes by elucidating global trends in the application of and high-impact research that characterize this specific knowledge intersection. Our findings indicate a substantial and sustained growth trajectory in research output and citation impact related to the convergence of AI and fermentation. This trend is projected to persist until 2030, representing a 48% projected growth from 2024–2030. China and India emerged as leading contributors and financiers in this field. The “Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology” category constitutes approximately one-third of the published articles in the WoS database, while “Chemical Engineering,” “Biochemistry,” and “Engineering” account for the greatest quantity of published articles in the Scopus database.