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On 22 June 2026, Prof. Dr. Apichart Vanavichit, Senior Advisor to the Rice Science Center and head of the research project, together with researchers from Kasetsart University and Mahidol University, presented the research and innovation “Thai Rice for Nutrition for the Elderly and Sustainable Health” in the exhibition “Art and Science of Research: Research for Aging Society” at the Thailand Research Expo 2026, held at Centara Grand and Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld, Bangkok.
The project aims to develop and build on Thailand's high-nutrition rice varieties to raise the quality of life of the elderly and patients with chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) through personalized diet intervention (PDI), integrating knowledge in agriculture, nutrition and medicine to create a health food system that sustainably answers the needs of an aging society.
In the project's first phase, 29 prototype menus were developed and tested for obese and diabetic patients in a sample of 151 people, found to significantly reduce body mass index (BMI), reduce abdominal fat, and help balance gut microbes. In the later phase, plant protein products and functional foods for the elderly and kidney disease patients were developed and passed clinical testing in 110 volunteers, found to significantly reduce post-meal blood sugar levels and to have a low glycemic index (GI).
The outstanding feature of the work is linking the innovation chain end to end, “high-nutrition rice varieties – nutritional-therapy food – health products”, using personalized nutritional therapy to design products suited to the needs of each target group, which can be extended into industrial production, add value to Thai rice, and generate income for farmers, as well as support Thailand's entry into a Super-Aging Society.
The exhibition displayed 7 innovative works and products: personalized nutritional-therapy menus for obese and diabetic patients, nutritional-therapy menus for kidney disease patients, HiFi Bakeries products, bread and cookies from Rainbow Rice leaf powder (RBLP), 3G Rice Cracker baked rice crackers, gluten-free 3G rice bread, a plant-protein drink powder for the elderly, and protein hydrolysate from Rainbow Rice leaves, all prototype products that reflect the potential of Thai rice for health care and for developing the food industry of the future.
The research on nutritional-therapy food for the elderly received the NRCT Award and has been published at academic forums both nationally and internationally, reflecting the potential of Thai research to create knowledge and innovation that can be put to real use, answering the country's needs in people's health and sustainably adding value to the agricultural sector.
Source: Facebook Rice Science Center
