Exploring culinary co-creation for innovative food development among older adults: a sensory approach
Résumé
The concept of co-creation, involving final stakeholders, has gained significant attention for its potential to help develop new products integrating consumer expectations and acceptance. However, culinary co-creation, particularly involving key food system stakeholders, remains relatively underexplored. This study aims to examine the role of stakeholder group composition in culinary co-creation to develop innovative food for older adults. Different co-creation workshops were conducted in a culinary school kitchen at Institut Lyfe in Lyon, France. We aimed to develop a concept generated during an initial phase of co-ideation: an appetizer containing textured vegetable protein (lentils and wheat) for community-living older adults aged between 55 to 75 years. Two compositions of stakeholder groups were tested: exclusively older adults and a mix of older adults, culinary, and health experts, totalling six workshops with 27 participants (21 older adults). The workshops featured activities such as tasting prototype recipes and culinary creation sessions with a chef, incorporating both individual and group discussions aimed at refining the product. To analyze the results, we investigated differences in idea generation according to group composition, assessing cognitive creativity, originality, feasibility, and efficiency, evaluated by an expert panel. Additionally, we examined satisfaction and participation levels across different group compositions using a Likert scale questionnaire and assessing social creativity across five categories. Furthermore, the products created were evaluated by a panel of experts based on novelty, workability, and adequacy (including nutritional score, visual appeal, and sustainability). This exploratory study presents thus an innovative and promising experimental protocol for culinary co-creation, shedding light on its potential applications in developing tailored food products for specific consumer groups, particularly older adults. The findings contribute to understanding the role of co-creation and group dynamics in sensory and consumer research, offering valuable insights for future research and practical implementation in the food industry.