Popping seeds - the familiar and

not

Ryan Farquhar, Paige Geimer, Yishan Huang, Shuhan Zhan

What is a seed? As learned by Maggie’s lecture, seeds are structures by which plants create a new

generation of their kind. They can range from grains, to legumes, to nuts.

What makes popcorn (or other seeds) “pop”?When a popcorn kernel heats up, the moisture inside the kernel turns to steam, as the protein and starch soften. Once the internal pressure reaches 7x atmospheric pressure, the hull breaks, and the protein/starch mixture expands with it.

It is important for a seed to have levels of internal moisture and a strong hull in order to pop.

Seeds Used and Their Nutrition ContentSeeds Water Content Hull Hardness

Popcorn 16% hard

Millet 8.7% hard

Barley 10% medium

Quinoa 13% medium

Amaranth 75% medium-hard

Black beans 65% soft

Garbanzo 60% soft

Buckwheat 9% medium

HypothesisThree important components of popping seeds:

1. Moisture inside the kernel 2. Starch inside the kernel3. The hard shell surrounding the kernel

We believe that high moisture content and proper hardness of the hull would be the main contributors to “pop” a seed. Based on the nutrition and water content, we hypothesize that grains and pseudocereals would pop better than nuts and legumes because of the proper hardness of the hull (neither too hard nor too soft); and among grains and pseudocereals, seeds with higher water content (amaranth, popcorn and quinoa) would pop better than seeds with a lower water content.

How & What We Attempted to Pop

Popcorn: popped in oil at a medium-high heat

Quinoa: popped with no oil in a low-medium heat

Buckwheat: popped with no oil in a low heat

Amaranth: popped with no oil in a medium heat

Barley: popped with oil and without oil in a medium to high heat

Legumes (black and garbanzo beans): popped with and without oil in a medium heat

Millet: popped without oil in a medium heat

Objective and Subjective measurementsObjective

● Size increase● Heat level required● Appearance change● Percent yield

Subjective

● Tenderness● Moisture● Taste

Ranking Test

We decided to use a ranking test versus the other types of tests because we could not directly compare the seeds and we had 7

different types. We based the ranking on preference to texture and taste, although the seeds were not seasoned in anyway, so many were

bland.

Results For Popped SeedsSeed Size increase

Appearance

1 =changed completely

5= not changed

Percent Yield Tenderness1 = very tender5 = crunchy/not

tender

Flavor

Quinoa 2% 4 40% 4 Nutty

Popcorn 185% 1 99% 1 Bland

Buckwheat 25% 4 30% 4 bland

Amaranth 200% 2 75% 2 Toasty

Check out our video of amaranth popping! https://youtu.be/UgVDDv2Yc64

Popcorn

Buckwheat

Quinoa

Amaranth

Seeds That Did Not PopSeeds Size increase Appearance

1 =changed completely

5= not changed

Percent Yield

Tenderness1 = very tender5 = crunchy/not

tender

Flavor

Barley Not popped 5 0% N/A N/A

Legumes Not popped 5 0% N/A N/A

Millet Not popped 5 0% N/A N/A

Barley Legumes Millet

Preference Ranking Tests

Most favorite=1 Least favorite=4

Comments:

“I like the texture of buckwheat, crunchy, but not too crunchy.” - Participant 1

“The burnt smell of quinoa is somewhat strong.” -- Participant 2

Preference ranking

Participants 566 (popcorn) 168 (buckwheat) 099 (amaranth) 701 (quinoa)

1 1 2 3 4

2 1 3 2 4

3 2 1 3 4

Discussion The experiment results are relatively consistent with what we hypothesized. Grains and pseudocereals with proper water content and hardness of hulls seem to pop, such as popcorn, amaranth, and buckwheat.

We classified Quinoa as popping and Millet as not popping, though both had similar results. These “popped” off the skillet, but they did not have the characteristic hull break and (inside out). This is definitely due to their properties: quinoa’s water content may not have been enough paired with it’s shell not being quite hard enough and even though millet’s hull is hard, it does not have a water content high enough to pop.

Furthermore, just because the seed popped, doesn’t mean it had a large yield. We noticed that seeds with a higher water content resulted in a higher yield.

Heats ultimately played an important role in popping. Certain grains only popped at a certain temperature. If the temperature

is too low, moisture pressure can not be developed. If the temperature is too high, the seeds are burnt before being popped. It

took one of our members several trials to find the best popping temperature for amaranth!

Considerations/Limitations● Methods were not controlled across seeds - had to use specific methods for

each seed otherwise they just burned.● Samples are not tasted immediately after being popped, which might lead to

change in texture and flavor.● Due to the limitation of equipment, we were not able to test the exact popping

temperature. ● Trials were very hit or miss for popping each seed - even the ones that were

supposed to pop! There is still hope, but the method and conditions need to be very exact.

Conclusions● Popcorn is the seed with the highest percent yield so it would make the most

sense to be commercially produced (less food and energy waste)● The best seeds for popping have a high moisture content and a relatively strong

hull that can hold the water evaporation pressure● In our taste testing, some really enjoyed the other popped seeds over popped

corn displaying how preference is subjective!● Uses for each seed are unique to its properties and can be utilized accordingly.

○ Popped amaranth may be better for granola or on top of ice cream (versus popcorn)

○ Popcorn would be more useful as a handheld snack on its own (versus the tiny amaranth)

ReferencesBilow, Rochelle. "Get It Poppin': Your New Favorite Way to Eat Quinoa (and Amaranth, and Sorghum)." Bon Appetit. N.p., 2016. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

"How Does Popcorn Work?" HowStuffWorks. N.p., 2000. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

"What Makes Popcorn Pop?" Popcorn Board Popcorn Board. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.