Enhancing Technology Transfer and Innovation for Processing of Dried Yellow Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum indicum) Flowers: A Case Study of the Mae Wang Lao Community Enterprise Group, Chiang Rai Province

The Mae Wang Lao Community Enterprise Group has been growing chrysanthemums flowers on 9.5 rai of land and was ready to sell the dried yellow chrysanthemum flowers for $8.33/kg. This was not sufficient to provide an acceptable income for farmers to enjoy a reasonable livelihood. Therefore, the Innovation and Technology Transfer Project on the processing of dried yellow chrysanthemum flowers was initiated to improve production potential. The Sa-Ngo Royal Project Development Center initiated the project in response to the policy for the utilization of Thailand Research. This has provided an effective means of technology transfer related to drying and equipment for flower tea to the Mae Wang Lao Enterprise Group, assisted by the Sa-Ngo Royal Project Development Center with respect to the enhancement of production capabilities. An installed dryer at the Mae Wang Lao Enterprise Group processing facility will help promote drying technology to farmers. The study results showed that farmers can effectively make use of information from this technology transfer. The results showed that farmers were able to put into practice the transfer of technology knowledge when drying yellow chrysanthemum flowers at a temperature of 70°C. The analysis of the quality of dried chrysanthemum flowers of the farmers group showed a final moisture content of 8% w.b. In addition, they were able to maintain the quality of biological matter and the ability to resist free radicals, equivalent to the samples of the Sa-Ngo Royal Project Development Center. In the case of the tea variety that was dried under standard methods from the Sa-Ngo Royal Project Development Center, its total phenolic content and antioxidant activity proved to be the same as the processed one. Another positive result pertained to the sale of the products of the group. With this kind of project implementation, the farmer income improved by 161.94% compared to the production season of 2022.