Home / Artilces / Chemistry of popcorn aroma & popping!

Chemistry of popcorn aroma & popping!

Popcorn, also known as popping corn, is a type of corn. It can come up with usually salted or sweetened flavors. Many people like the odor of popcorn. Some people especially like to smell popcorn when you open the door of the movie theater. It is rich in some of the following nutrients.

Nutritional value of Popcorn

Contents	Energy vuale
Energy	382 k cal
Carbohydrates	78 g
Fiber content	15 g
Fat	4 g
Protein	12 g
Vit. B1	0.2 mg
Vit. B2	0.3 mg
Iron	2.7 mg

A new study by Tufts University reveals popcorn may contain higher levels of healthy antioxidants known as polyphenols.

Why most of the people like the odor of popcorn?

What is the chemical present in butter popcorn that leads to Alzheimer’s plaque disease?

Popcorn odor comes from molecules that go into the air as popcorn is heated. According to spectroscopic studies, popcorn contains:

N-ethylpyrrole-2-aldehyde	N-isoamyl-pyrrole-2-aldehyde
5-methylpyrrole-2-aldehyde	2-formyl-5-methylthiophene
Pyrazine	Acetic acid
Phenol	2-ethyl-5-butylthiophene
2-Methoxyphenol	Hexanoic acid
2,5-dimethyl pyrazine	Palmitic acid
2,3-dimethyl pyrazine	γ- Kutyrolactone
2-ethyl-5-methyl pyrazine	N-furfuryl pyrrole
2-ethyl-3,6-dimethyl pyrazine	N-furfuryl pyrrole-2-aldehyde
2-pentylfuran	2-acetylpyrrole
Furfural	Pyrrole-2-aldehyde
2-acetylfuran	4-vinyl-2-methoxyphenol
5-methylfurfural	4-vinylphenol
Furfuryl alcohol	Vanillin
5-hydroxymethyl Furfural	2,3,5-trimethyl pyrazine
Acetaldehyde	2-Acetyl pyrazine
2-methyl propanal	(5-Methyl-2-furyl)-(2 furyl)-methane
5-Methyl butanal	5-Methyl-2-acetyl furan
Pentanal	Bi-(5-methyl-2-furyl)-methane
Hexanal	4-hydroxy-2, 5-dimethyl-3 (2H)-furanone
Benzaldehyde	Heptanal
Phenylacetaldehyde	Ethyl formate
Diacetyl	Pyridine
Ethyl acetate	Thiazole
Methyl palmitate	Benzothiazole
Diethylphthalate	Ethylbenzene
Ethanol	Dichlorobenzene
Hexane

The above chemicals compounds make important contributions to the flavor and aroma of popcorn.

A new study which is conducted by Chemical Research in Toxicology on ingredients used for artificial butter flavoring for popcorn is revealed that it contains a chemical compound called Diacetyl (DA).

They found that DA has a structure that's similar to a substance that makes beta-amyloid proteins. Too much amyloid that clumps together to form plaques is a tell-tale marker of Alzheimer's disease in the brain.

They found DA did lead to an increase in levels of beta-amyloid clumping; leading to toxic effects on nerve cells the scientists grew in a laboratory. The experiments also showed that DA easily penetrated the blood-brain barrier.