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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<p><a href="http://www.physorg.com/news3722.html">The chemistry of popcorn: It's all about 'pop-ability'</a></p> <p>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. <br>“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.</p>