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The chemistry of popcorn: It's all about 'pop-ability' If you took a survey of life`s small annoyances, surely those unpopped kernels at the bottom of the popcorn bag would rank high on the list. But perhaps not for long.“We think the secret to maximizing ‘pop-ability` is found in the special chemistry of the corn kernel,” says food chemist Bruce Hamaker, Ph.D., of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. Hamaker is part of a team of scientists at the school who have identified a key crystalline structure in popcorn that appears to determine its popping quality. The finding could lead to a better microwave popcorn variety with fewer or no unpopped kernels, they say.
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