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Bruce Hamaker, food scientist and director of the Whistler Center for Carbohydrate Research. (Photo by Tom Campbell) |
If you take 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 that could be changing.
"We think the secret of maximizing ‘pop-ability' is found in the special chemistry of the corn kernel," says Bruce Hamaker, food scientist and director of the Whistler Center for Carbohydrate Research.
Hamaker and his research team 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.
Besides being a nuisance, unpopped kernels can break teeth, destroy fillings and cause choking. Manufacturers have tried to reduce the number of unpopped kernels through trial and error breeding, but the problem persists, especially in microwave popcorn.
Hamaker's team found that the key factor that seems to influence popping quality is the chemical structure of the pericarp, or outer hull. During heating, the corn pericarp acts like a pressure cooker that locks moisture inside the corn kernel. The heated moisture leads to a pressure buildup until the kernel eventually ruptures and pops.
Now that they have a better understanding of the science behind why unpopped kernels occur, Hamaker says, they can use this knowledge to reduce their number.
— The American Chemical Society
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