Popcorn pops due to superheated, pressurized steam that forms inside the kernel

by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor

(NaturalNews) Corn (maize) is nearly unique among grass species in that its seed has a strong, moisture-resistant hull, surrounding an interior composed almost entirely of hard, dense starch. It is this combination of traits that allows popcorn to pop.

Popcorn is simply a specialized breed of corn known as flint corn, which has an especially hard outer kernel. When popcorn kernels are heated in a pot, the water inside the kernel naturally heats up as well, turning into steam. Because the steam cannot escape through the moisture-proof kernel, it soon becomes pressurized and then superheated. This superheated steam cooks the hard starches in the kernel into a soft, gelatinous mass.

A constant influx of heat from the pot keeps increasing the heat and pressure inside the kernel up to roughly 135 pounds per square inch, at which point the kernel finally ruptures. The released steam then expands rapidly, filling the gelatinized starch with air. With the steam gone, the starch cools rapidly and solidifies into the familiar popped corn shape.

Popcorn is a whole grain snack, but watch out for microwaveable popcorn, as its butter ingredient includes a dangerous chemical that can cause lung cancer (http://www.naturalnews.com/034386_microwave_popcorn_diacetyl_lungs.ht...).

Source: 25 Amazing (and Weird) Facts about How Food is Made and Where it Comes From, authored by Mike Adams and David Guiterrez. This report reveals shocking but true things that will blow your mind about how food is actually made. Click here to download the full report (FREE) (PDF Adobe Acrobat, non-DRM), and you'll learn about weird food ingredients, food manufacturing processes and bizarre food sources. FREE report from NaturalNews.com.

Additional sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flint_corn

Suzanne