Popcorn or popping corn is a type of corn which explodes from the kernel and puffs up when heated. Special varieties are grown to give improved popping yield. Some wild types will pop, but the cultivated strain is Zea mays averta, which is a special kind of flint corn. The process of making popcorn was first discovered by aboriginal Americans thousands of years ago.^[1] Popcorn has several meanings: Popcorn is a type of food. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1067, 683 KB) Popcorn File links The following pages link to this file: Popcorn ... Scientific classification redirects here. ... Divisions Green algae land plants (embryophytes) non-vascular embryophytes Hepatophyta - liverworts Anthocerophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses vascular plants (tracheophytes) seedless vascular plants Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongue ferns seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants or angiosperms are the most widespread group of land plants. ... Liliopsida is the botanical name for a class. ... families see text Poales is a botanical name at the rank of order. ... Subfamilies There are 7 subfamilies: Subfamily Arundinoideae Subfamily Bambusoideae Subfamily Centothecoideae Subfamily Chloridoideae Subfamily Panicoideae Subfamily Pooideae Subfamily Stipoideae The true grasses are monocotyledonous plants (Class Liliopsida) in the Family Poaceae, also known as Gramineae. ... species ssp. ... Latin name redirects here. ... This article is about the maize plant. ... For other uses, see Native Americans (disambiguation). ...

History

Popcorn was first discovered by the native Americans, who believed that the popping noise was that of an angry god who escaped the kernel.^{[citation needed]} Popcorn was very popular in the 1890s, until World War I. As corn crops became more depleted during this war, nuts were used instead of corn.^{[citation needed]} During the Depression, popcorn was a luxury at 5-10 cents a bag. When some of the other businesses failed, the popcorn business thrived. An example is "an Oklahoma banker who went broke when his bank failed, bought a popcorn machine, and started a business in a small store near a theater. After a couple of years, his popcorn business made enough money to buy back three of the farms he'd lost."^[2] During World War II, Americans ate three times more popcorn than they had before because of the sugar that was going overseas. This article is about the people indigenous to the United States. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

At least six localities (all in the United States of America) claim to be the "Popcorn Capital of the World": Valparaiso, Indiana; Van Buren, Indiana; Marion, Ohio; Ridgway, Illinois; Schaller, Iowa; and North Loup, Nebraska. According to the USDA, most of the maize used for popcorn production is specifically planted for this purpose; most is grown in Nebraska and Indiana, with increasing area in Texas.^[3] Nickname: Motto: Vale of Paradise Location in Indiana Coordinates: , Country State County Porter Government  - Mayor Jon Costas (R) Area  - City  11. ... Van Buren from the air, looking northeast. ... Marion is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Marion County[4]. The city is located in northern Ohio, approximately 50 miles (80 km) north of Columbus. ... Ridgway is a village located in Gallatin County, Illinois. ... Schaller is a city located in Sac County, Iowa. ... North Loup is a village located in Valley County, Nebraska. ... The U.S. Department of Agriculture, also called the Agriculture Department, or USDA, is a Cabinet department of the United States Federal Government. ... This article is about the maize plant. ... For other uses, see Nebraska (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Indiana (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ...

As the result of an elementary school project, popcorn became the official state snack food of Illinois.^[4] This article is about the U.S. State. ...

How popcorn pops

Kernel and popped popcorn

Each kernel of popcorn contains a certain amount of moisture and oil. Unlike most other grains, the outer hull of the popcorn kernel is both strong and impervious to moisture, and the starch inside consists almost entirely of a hard, dense type.^[5] Image File history File links Pochoclo1. ... Image File history File links Pochoclo1. ...

As the oil and the water are heated past the boiling point, they turn the moisture in the kernel into a superheated pressurized steam, contained within the moisture-proof hull. Under these conditions, the starch inside the kernel gelatinizes, softening and becoming pliable. The pressure continues to increase until the breaking point of the hull is reached: a pressure of about 135 psi (9.1 atm)^[5] and a temperature of 180°C. The hull ruptures rapidly, causing a sudden drop in pressure inside the kernel and a corresponding rapid expansion of the steam, which expands the starch and proteins of the endosperm into airy foam. As the foam rapidly cools, the starch and protein polymers set into the familiar crispy puff.^[5] Starch gelatinization is a process that breaks down the intermolecular bonds of starch molecules in the presence of water and temperature and allowing the hydrogen bonding sites (the hydroxyl hydrogen and oxygen) to engage more water. ... A pressure gauge reading in PSI (red scale) and kPa (black scale) The pound-force per square inch (symbol: lbf/in²) is a non-SI unit of pressure based on avoirdupois units. ... Standard atmosphere (symbol: atm) is a unit of pressure. ... For other uses, see Celsius (disambiguation). ... A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin showing coloured alpha helices. ... Sea foam on the beach Foam on a cappuccino Fire-retardant, foamed plastic being used as a temporary dam for firestop mortar in a cable penetration in a pulp and paper mill on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. ... A polymer (from Greek: πολυ, polu, many; and μέρος, meros, part) is a substance composed of molecules with large molecular mass composed of repeating structural units, or monomers, connected by covalent chemical bonds. ...

Expansion and yield

A home popcorn-maker.

Popping results are sensitive to the rate at which the kernels are heated. If heated too quickly, the steam in the outer layers of the kernel can reach high pressures and rupture the hull before the starch in the center of the kernel can fully gelatinize, leading to partially popped kernels with hard centers. Heating too slowly leads to entirely unpopped kernels: the tip of the kernel, where it attached to the cob, is not entirely moisture-proof, and when heated slowly, the steam can leak out of the tip fast enough to keep the pressure from rising sufficiently to break the hull and cause the pop.^[6] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2304x3072, 2949 KB)I took this photo of my popcorn maker on 24 January 2007. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2304x3072, 2949 KB)I took this photo of my popcorn maker on 24 January 2007. ...

Producers and sellers of popcorn consider two major factors in evaluating the quality of popcorn: what percentage of the kernels will pop, and how much each popped kernel expands. Expansion is an important factor to both the consumer and vendor. For the consumer, larger pieces of popcorn tend to be more tender and are associated with higher quality. For the grower, distributor, and vendor, expansion is closely correlated with profit: vendors such as theaters buy popcorn by weight and sell it by volume. For both these reasons, higher-expansion popcorn fetches a higher profit per unit weight.

Popcorn will pop when freshly harvested, but not well: its high moisture content leads to poor expansion and chewy pieces of popcorn. Kernels with a high moisture content are also susceptible to mold when stored. For these reasons, popcorn growers and distributors dry the kernels until they reach the moisture level at which they expand the most. This differs by variety and conditions, but is generally in the range of 14–15% moisture by weight. If the kernels are over-dried, the expansion rate will suffer and the percentage of kernels that pop at all will decline.

Two explanations exist for kernels which do not pop at proper temperatures, known in the popcorn industry as "old maids". The first is that unpopped kernels do not have enough moisture to create enough steam for an explosion. The second explanation, according to research led by Dr. Bruce Hamaker of Purdue University, is that the unpopped kernel may have a leaky hull. Old maid redirects here. ... Purdue redirects here. ...

Popcorn varieties are broadly categorized by the shape of the kernels, the color of the kernels, or the shape of the popped corn. While the kernels may come in a variety of colors, the popped corn is always white as it is only the hull (or pericarp) that is colored. "Rice" type popcorns have a long kernel pointed at both ends; "pearl" type kernels are rounded at the top. Commercial popcorn production has moved mostly to pearl types.^[7] Historically, pearl popcorns were usually yellow and rice popcorns usually white. Today both shapes are available in both colors, as well as others including black, red, and variegated. Commercial production is dominated by white and yellow.^[8] Variegation is the appearance of differently coloured zones in the leaves, and sometimes the stems, of plants. ...

"Mushroom"-shaped popcorn, left, is less fragile but less tender than "butterfly"-shaped, right.

In popcorn jargon, a popped kernel of corn is known as a "flake". Two shapes of flakes are commercially important. "Butterfly" flakes are irregular in shape and have a number of protruding "wings". "Mushroom" flakes are largely ball-shaped, with few wings. Butterfly flakes are regarded as having better mouthfeel, with greater tenderness and less noticeable hulls. Mushroom flakes are less fragile than butterfly flakes and are therefore often used for packaged popcorn or confectionery, such as caramel corn.^[8] The kernels from a single cob of popcorn may form both butterfly and mushroom flakes; hybrids that produce 100% butterfly flakes or 100% mushroom flakes exist, the latter developed only as recently as 1998.^[8] Growing conditions and popping environment can also affect the butterfly-to-mushroom ratio. Image File history File links Mushroom_and_butterfly_popcorn. ... Image File history File links Mushroom_and_butterfly_popcorn. ... In many areas related to the testing and evaluating of foodstuffs,such as wine-tasting and rheology, mouthfeel is a product’s physical and chemical interaction in the mouth from initial perception on the palate, to first bite, through mastication to swallowing. ... It has been suggested that Candy be merged into this article or section. ... Caramel corn is made with popcorn covered in caramel or molasses, creating a sweet, crunchy treat. ...

As a food

Popcorn is usually served salted or sweetened. In North America, it is traditionally served salted, although a sweetened version, generally called caramel corn, is also commonly available. In the United Kingdom, ready-made popcorn is available either salted or simply sweetened with sugar, both varieties being equally popular. Toffee (i.e. caramel) popcorn is also available, but tends to be more expensive. Popcorn is a popular snack at sporting events and in cinemas, where it has been served since 1912. Although small quantities can be popped in a stovetop kettle in a home kitchen, commercial sale of freshly popped popcorn is done with the help of specially designed popcorn machines, which were originally invented in Chicago, Illinois by Charles Cretors in 1885. Cretors successfully introduced his invention at the Columbian Exposition in 1893. At this same world's fair, F.W. Rueckheim introduced the first caramel corn; his brother, Louis, slightly altered the recipe and introduced it as Cracker Jack popcorn in 1896.^[9] A snack food is seen in Western culture as a type of food that is not meant to be eaten as part of one of the main meals of the day (breakfast, lunch, supper). ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... One-third scale replica of Daniel Chester Frenchs Republic, which stood in the great basin at the exposition, Chicago, 2004 The Worlds Columbian Exposition (also called The Chicago Worlds Fair), a Worlds Fair, was held in Chicago in 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher... Year 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Caramel corn is made with popcorn covered in caramel or molasses, creating a sweet, crunchy treat. ... For other uses, see Crackerjack (disambiguation). ...

Cretors' invention introduced the first patented steam-driven popcorn machine that popped corn in oil. Previously, vendors popped corn by holding a wire basket over an open flame. At best, the result was a hot, dry, unevenly cooked confection. The Cretors' machine popped corn in a mixture of one-third clarified butter, two-thirds lard and salt. This mixture could withstand the 450°F temperature needed to pop corn and it did without producing much smoke. A fire under a boiler created steam that drove a small engine; that engine drove the gears, shaft, and agitator that stirred the corn and also powered the attention-attracting clown – the Toasty Roasty Man. A wire connected to the top of the cooking pan allowed the operator to disengage the drive mechanism, lift the cover and dump popped corn into the storage bin beneath. Exhaust from the steam engine was piped to a hollow pan below the corn storage bin and kept freshly popped corn uniformly warm for the first time ever.

An equally ingenious popcorn making device can still be seen on the streets of some Chinese cities today. The corn is poured into a large cast-iron cannister which is then sealed with a heavy lid and slowly turned over a curb-side fire in rotisserie fashion. When a pressure gauge on the cannister reaches a certain level, it is removed from the fire, a large canvas sack is put over the lid, and the seal is released. With a huge boom, all of popcorn explodes at once and is poured into the sack.

Individual consumers can also buy and use specialized popping appliances which typically generate no more than a gallon of popped corn per batch. Some of these appliances also accept a small volume of oil or melted butter to assist thermal transfer from a stationary heating element, but others (such as the one shown above) are "air poppers" which rapidly circulate heated air up through the interior, keeping the unpopped kernels in motion to avoid burning and blowing the popped kernels out through the chute. However, the great majority of popcorn sold for home consumption is now prepackaged with various flavoring agents for use in a microwave oven. One of these common artificial-butter flavorants, diacetyl, has been implicated in causing respiratory ailments.^[10] Diacetyl (IUPAC systematic name: butanedione or 2,3-butanedione) is a natural byproduct of fermentation. ...

The Boy Scouts of America sell popcorn door-to-door as a primary fund-raiser, similar to Girl Scout cookies.^[11] Door to Door is the sixth and final studio album by American new wave band The Cars, released in 1987. ... Girl Scout cookies are any of several varieties of cookies sold by Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) as a fundraiser for their local scout units. ...

Old popcorn can be eaten the day after as a breakfast cereal and are essentially one of the first breakfast cereals. Corn flakes are said to have come about as a solution to market old popcorn as a breakfast item. Leftovers for this purpose should be unseasoned and kept in a sealed storage container. Cornflakes in a bowl Corn flakes are a popular breakfast cereal originally manufactured by Kelloggs through the treatment of corn. ...

Other uses

Popcorn, threaded onto a string, is used as a wall or Christmas tree decoration in some parts of North America, as well as on the Balkan peninsula. For other uses, see Christmas tree (disambiguation). ... North American redirects here. ...

Some shipping companies have experimented with using popcorn as a biodegradable replacement for expanded polystyrene packing material. However, popcorn has numerous undesirable properties as a packing material, including attractiveness to pests, flammability, higher cost and greater density than expanded polystyrene. A more processed form of expanded corn foam has been developed to overcome some of these limitations.^[12] Biodegradation is the decomposition of material by microorganisms. ... Styrofoam redirects here. ... Carpet beetle larvae damaging a specimen of Sceliphron destillatorius in an entomological collection A pest is an organism which has characteristics that are regarded as injurious or unwanted. ...

The world's largest popcorn ball was unveiled in October 2006 in Lake Forest, Illinois. It weighed 3,415 pounds (1550 kilograms), measured 8 feet (2.4 m) in diameter and had a circumference of 24.6 feet (8 m).^[13] Incorporated City in 1861. ...

Some of the most popular brands of popcorn are^{[citation needed]} Act II, Pop Secret, Pop Weaver, Jiffy Pop, Kroger, and Orville Redenbacher's. Act II is a brand of popcorn in North America that is ostensibly based on the look and taste of movie theater popcorn. ... Pop Secret is a well-known brand of popcorn, produced by General Mills. ... Pop Weaver® is the flagship brand for Weaver Popcorn Company, a family-owned business started in 1928 by Ira Weaver, that develops, grows, processes, packages, and ships a variety of popcorn products for sale around the world. ... Jiffy Pop is a popcorn product currently owned by ConAgra Foods. ... For other uses, see Kroger (disambiguation). ... Orville Redenbachers is a brand of popcorn founded by Orville Redenbacher in 1971. ...

Nutritional Value

Air-popped popcorn is naturally high in fiber, low in calories and fat, contains no sodium, and is sugar free, which makes it an attractive snack unless one is limiting carbohydrates. The actual fat, sugar, and sodium content depends on how the popcorn is prepared though and a naturally healthy snack can quickly become unhealthy. Lactose is a disaccharide found in milk. ... Dietary fibers are the indigestible portion of plant foods that move food through the digestive system, absorbing water and making defecation easier. ... For other uses, see FAT. Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water. ... A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin showing coloured alpha helices. ... For the similarly spelled pyrimidine, see Thymine Thiamin or thiamine, also known as vitamin B1 and aneurine hydrochloride, is one of the B vitamins. ... Riboflavin (E101), also known as vitamin B2, is an easily absorbed micronutrient with a key role in maintaining health in animals. ... General Name, symbol, number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, period, block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Standard atomic weight 55. ... Reference Daily Intake (RDI) is the daily dietary intake level of a nutrient considered sufficient to meet the requirements of nearly all (97–98%) healthy individuals in each life-stage and gender group. ... Dietary fibers are the indigestible portion of plant foods that move food through the digestive system, absorbing water and making defecation easier. ...

Popcorn is included on the list of foods that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends not serving to children under four, because of the risk of choking. It is one of the top causes for children choking to death (along with hotdogs and balloons).^[14] Special "hulless" popcorn has been developed that offers an alternative for small children and for people with braces or other dental problems who may otherwise need to avoid popcorn. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is an organization of pediatricians, physicians trained to deal with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. ... For choking meaning compression of the neck, see Strangling. ...

See also

• Kettle corn
• Caramel corn
• Popcorn bag
• Popcorn brands
• Popcorn maker
• Butter salt
• Puffed grain
• Daniel Chonghan Hong

The clear coating on kettle corn is barely visible except up close. ... Caramel corn is made with popcorn covered in caramel or molasses, creating a sweet, crunchy treat. ... A popcorn bag can refer to either the bag in which popcorn kernels that have been popped in heated oil are served, or to a specially-designed, microwavable bag that contains the popcorn, oil, and seasoning. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Butter salt is a seasoning developed in the late twentieth century for the purpose of combining the flavors found in salt and butter. ... Puffed grain is the result of a process developed by Dr. Alexander P. Anderson of New York City in 1902. ...

Notes

USDA redirects here. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 216th day of the year (217th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For information on Wikipedia press releases, see Wikipedia:Press releases. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 237th day of the year (238th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... ... is the 127th day of the year (128th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... January 6 is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

References

• Halauer, Arnel R. (2001). Specialty Corns. CRC Press. ISBN 0849323770. 
• Lusas, Edmund W.; Rooney, Lloyd W. (2001). Snack Foods Processing. CRC press. ISBN 1566769329. 
• Smith, Andrew F. (1999). Popped Culture: The Social History of Popcorn in America. University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 1570033005. 

External links

• Popcorn Board (U.S.)
• Wyandot Popcorn Museum, Marion, OH
• Kernel Exploding in Slow Motion