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.