Local Food Wisdom of Phra Nakhon SriAyutthaya Province: Development ofCommercial Food Innovationsfor the Elderly

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to study the and development of development of innovations from local food wisdom for the elderly in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, to study the recipes from local wisdom for the elderly and to develop innovative local food wisdom for the commercial elderly for commercial purposes. This study is a cultural, qualitative research. The research instrument used in this study were observation form and interview form. The data analysis was conducted using descriptive analysis. The results showed that in terms of the background and development of local food wisdom for the elderly, the traditional local foods of Ayutthaya is meticulously organized into a set, food preservation has been used to preserve raw materials, and the foods are unique in terms of color, flavor and taste. For the development of local food innovations for the elderly for commercial purposes, the traditional recipes have been used and adapted by modern restaurants to be compatible with the raw materials and to keep up with modern food trends, reflecting the constant change and development. Foods in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province can be divided into two groups: foods prepared using traditional methods inherited in each person’s household and foods prepared using modern ingredients and methods with a similar taste to the original recipes but with a different texture in order to create a new twist. It was found that the development of local food wisdom innovations for the elderly consists of 3 components which are the development of raw material, process and packaging. In this study, concentrated spicy mixed vegetable soup, ready-to-eat spicy rice salad with herbs, banana in grain milk, and pomelo and ginger juice with monk fruit sweetener were used as the food model for development. In terms of the development of raw materials, low-sodium salt was used to provide salty taste, monk fruit sweetener was used to provide sweetness, while grain milks were used to provide creamy texture and taste. The foods were pasteurized to increase shelf life and packaged in clean, safe packaging suitable for the elderly.