1/4 What makes corns pop to turn them into popcorns? Is it because
they have something that's flamable inside and less flamable
outside? How about rice, sunflower seeds, ants, and other
things, can they be popped as well? I'm interesting in
inventing, producing, and marketing a new genre of food and
I'm wondering what is possible, ok thx -amateur chef
\_ Popcorn pops because of the water inside the kernel. Once you
heat it to above boiling the water turns into gas, causing
a small explosion and the resultant piece of popcorn. - williamc
\_ A more detailed explanation is that popping corn (a special variety)
has been bred to have a hard outer seed coat and a large 'horny'
endosperm high in protein, and a small starchy endosperm at the
center. What heated, the water in the center turns to steam and
dissolves the protein that makes up the bulk of the kernel. When
pressure gets too high, the seed coat pops, and the steam-hydrated
proteins of the horny endosperm expand and cool rapidly. Once it
cools and loses steam, the protein sets into a dry foam. Through
a lot of selective breeding or gene splicing, it might be possible
to create other seed varieties that pop, but I can't see how it
could recoup the R&D. In any case, it's not something you can do by
just cooking.
\_ (To myself) I got that slightly backwards. The horny endosperm
holds most of the water and the puffy texture is expanded starch,
not a protein foam.
\_ I don't think that popcorn was specially "bred" to be popcorn.
Native Americans have been popping corn since 5000 years ago.
Perhaps it was a lucky discovery, perhaps it was bred, nobody
knows.
\_ Corn has been bred a very long ways from its natural form.
Some bred variety along the way could pop. It was later
specialized into a corn that is good for popping, but lousy
for masa harina.
The indians probably grew something similar to modern
'dent corn', which makes up like 98% of the U.S. crop, and is
not a very good popper.
\_ Almost all corn has been bred by humans. |