Why does popped popcorn have less calories?

[Mindscrape]

Somebody told me this, giving some stupid explanation of popped popcorn being mostly "air." I didn't believe them because the mass and chemical composition will still be the same, but I just checked a bag of popcorn and it has 10 fewer calories from fat when it's popped than when it's unpopped. Huh? I know their explanation is obviously wrong, but why physically or chemically would popped popcorn have less calories?

 

[berkeman]

Must be that the steam that pops away carries some fat with it. Or else the manufacturer doesn't have to count the fat that is typically left inside the bag after it is emptied according to their popping instructions.

 

[Mk]

I know when the corn explodes, hot oil goes everywhere.

 

[russ_watters]

Or else the manufacturer doesn't have to count the fat that is typically left inside the bag after it is emptied according to their popping instructions.

That's the one. A lot of foods have data for the uncooked (all meats, for example) or total package on the label and specify what conditions the data is relevant for. With popcorn, it just happens that a lot of the butter stays in the bag.

 

[Moonbear]

That's the one. A lot of foods have data for the uncooked (all meats, for example) or total package on the label and specify what conditions the data is relevant for. With popcorn, it just happens that a lot of the butter stays in the bag.

Oh, you guys are talking about microwave popcorn! I was puzzled, because I pop popcorn the old-fashioned way, which involves adding some oil or butter, not losing it.

 

[Ouabache]

Yeah, I was puzzled on that too.. I thought you were referring to the corn (not packaged versus unpackaged)

At Purdue Univ, for example, they pop all experimental popcorn crosses using an air popper. Using the same volume of corn, each cross will vary in characteristics, e.g. total expansion, texture, percent popped (for a valid comparison you need to use the same volume of dry corn and same moisture content). But I go along with Mindscrape original conception, oil content before and after remains constant .

For the lucky life science students we got all the free popcorn we could eat, Yummm

 

[barker]

What about volume?

Wouldn't the volume have something to do with it? For instance, on most popcorn, the nutrition values are shown in values for popped and unpopped, as stated before, but the amount for unpopped is 3 tbs (for example) and the amount for popped is 1 cup. 1 cup of popped popcorn is WAY less than 3 tbs of kernels. In other words, 3 tbs of kernals will probably make a few cups popped, because of how large the popped kernals are compared to the unpopped. Try it out, and measure the popped.

What I don't understand is that they list it in the nutrition guide under the same amount of servings which is WAY off. Not sure why they do that, unless I'm way off on the whole idea to begin with.

It's too bad, I was thinking my big bag of buttery popcorn was only 30 calories...(with hardly any fat)...lol...wishful thinking.

 

[Shellbie3]

I'm not a science expert by any means, but could it have to do with the amount of energy (calories) expended by the corn kernel as it pops? If it uses some of its energy to pop, it would make sense that there is less calories in the popped version of the kernel. Anyone smarter than me on this, please let me know if this makes sense or not.

 

[jim mcnamara]

No. The corn itself has the same caloric content. popped or dried. Good grief, Charlie Brown.

According to the USDA Nutrient database:
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
100g of dried white corn has 386 kcal
100g of white popcorn air popped - no oil - has 387 kcal

The 1 kcal is probably due to different varieties tested - corn has varying oil content in the seed.

The caloric content of Orville Redenbacher's popcorn as it actually goes down the hatch is anybody's guess - depends on the oil & butter & additivies left behind in the bag.

 

[Dadface]

Are you sure jim mcnamara?The database has not provided any experimental uncertainties and there may be a slight difference.Popping the corn results in a physical change and possibly biochemical changes as well. I think Shelbie 3 makes an interesting point and it could be that popping requires some internal energy from the corn itself as well as energy from the external source.

 

[Andy Resnick]

Somebody told me this, giving some stupid explanation of popped popcorn being mostly "air." I didn't believe them because the mass and chemical composition will still be the same, but I just checked a bag of popcorn and it has 10 fewer calories from fat when it's popped than when it's unpopped. Huh? I know their explanation is obviously wrong, but why physically or chemically would popped popcorn have less calories?

This is microwave popcorn? The calorie content before and after popping must be unchanged, unless as others point out, some of the oil/fat is left behind in the bag. 10 calories of fat is 1 gram, about 1/5 teaspoon (not much).

 

[Andy Resnick]

Are you sure jim mcnamara?The database has not provided any experimental uncertainties and there may be a slight difference.Popping the corn results in a physical change and possibly biochemical changes as well. I think Shelbie 3 makes an interesting point and it could be that popping requires some internal energy from the corn itself as well as energy from the external source.

The popping comes from water in the kernel. Water has no caloric value (as food). Now, if you burned the popcorn into a cindery agglomerate, the calorie value would be greatly diminished.

 

[Dadface]

I think the whole process might be much more complicated than is currently understood and that it might make an interesting research project.I cannot think of any practical applications that may may result from such research.Are there any other grains or seeds or biological structures which pop when heated?

 

[Proton Soup]

the mess that Reddenbacher leaves in my microwave could easily account for 10 calories. it's at least a gram of fat!

 

[Bett Bee]

Are you sure jim mcnamara?The database has not provided any experimental uncertainties and there may be a slight difference.Popping the corn results in a physical change and possibly biochemical changes as well. I think Shelbie 3 makes an interesting point and it could be that popping requires some internal energy from the corn itself as well as energy from the external source.

Dadface,

The hard outer shell of the corn kernel holds moisture in as it vaporizes and expands. At the same time, the starch in the kernel is gelatinized. (It melts and loses its crystalline structure, and to some extent as far as I understand it, may be broken down into smaller molecules.) When the pressure inside the kernel reaches a level the seed coat cannot hold in, it ruptures. Then as the starch expands it cools, forming the familiar popped kernel. The steam process is a physical change, not chemical. The procession from solid to liquid to vapor does not change the chemical structure of the substance being heated.

Gelatinization may be a chemical change that occurs in starch as a result of being heated or it may just be a physical change. I do not know whether it changes the nutritional profile of the grain to a significant degree. I will ask my chemistry/nutrition professor.

And yes, you can pop other grains. Popped quinoa is fun and nutritious.

Here's a video of a kernel popping in slow motion :-)

http://www.visionresearch.com/video/playvideo.cfm?file=popcorn5.flv&flash=yes

 

[nottheone]

I would think that a manufacturer of packaged microwave popcorn knows exactly how much hydrogenated oil (Crisco) it adds to each package and has to put that down as the ingredients. Since it has a vested interest in making people think there is as little fat in there as possible (without mentioning that it is putting heart stopping, artery clogging shortening in there instead of plain old oil) it is also saying how much is in the actual consumed product. Plenty is indeed left in the package since the coating power of hydrogenated oil doesn't just apply to arteries and oil does evaporate under heat. I would guess that they get the popcorn out of the package as quickly as possible to measure the actual amount of fat in the finished product, unlike the consumer who eats it in the package and is actually consuming a little more than what they are saying is there.

 

[vibjwb]

Could it be that heating burns some of the calories off ?

 

[alxm]

At Purdue Univ, for example, they pop all experimental popcorn crosses using an air popper.

Finding out that Perdue has a popcorn lab made this thread worth it.

 

[vaporz]

I contacted Con Agra foods with this question, and here is their reply:

Thank you for your email concerning our Orville Redenbacher's® Microwave Popcorn, a product of ConAgra Foods.

We apologize for the confusion regarding our labeling. We do not recommend comparing the unpopped and popped nutritionals.

The FDA requires nutrition values for unpopped popcorn be on the label. The difference in the nutritionals between the un-popped kernels and the popped product is the fact that some of the fat and salt sticks to the bag. The un-popped nutritionals include everything they put in the bag and the popped nutritionals include only what the consumer will be consuming.

We appreciate your patronage and value our consumers. We hope you will continue to enjoy our line of quality food.

I recommended that they add the above explanation on their labeling.

 

[Evo]

I contacted Con Agra foods with this question, and here is their reply:

Thank you for your email concerning our Orville Redenbacher's® Microwave Popcorn, a product of ConAgra Foods.

We apologize for the confusion regarding our labeling. We do not recommend comparing the unpopped and popped nutritionals.

The FDA requires nutrition values for unpopped popcorn be on the label. The difference in the nutritionals between the un-popped kernels and the popped product is the fact that some of the fat and salt sticks to the bag. The un-popped nutritionals include everything they put in the bag and the popped nutritionals include only what the consumer will be consuming.

We appreciate your patronage and value our consumers. We hope you will continue to enjoy our line of quality food.

I recommended that they add the above explanation on their labeling.

Ah, you want an explanation on the box. I guess I read the explanation years ago as I've always known that not everything adheres to the popcorn and not all kernels pop. Or maybe it was common sense from looking at what was left in the bag.

 

[vaporz]

Ah, you want an explanation on the box. I guess I read the explanation years ago as I've always known that not everything adheres to the popcorn and not all kernels pop. Or maybe it was common sense from looking at what was left in the bag.

Well, I'm proud of you that you're graced with such common-sense. However, you obviously didn't read the plethora of different answers. I think the underlying issue is that it may be that time of month for you. There is Midol at a Drugstore near you. Hope this helps.

 

[Proton Soup]

Well, I'm proud of you that you're graced with such common-sense. However, you obviously didn't read the plethora of different answers. I think the underlying issue is that it may be that time of month for you. There is Midol at a Drugstore near you. Hope this helps.

my answer more or less agrees with Evo.

 

[russ_watters]

I think there should be a third category listed, for people who lick the bag after someone else eats the popcorn.

 

[Evo]

Well, I'm proud of you that you're graced with such common-sense. However, you obviously didn't read the plethora of different answers. I think the underlying issue is that it may be that time of month for you. There is Midol at a Drugstore near you. Hope this helps.

Immature insults and snide remarks aren't allowed here, incase you didn't notice.

 

[lisab]

I think there should be a third category listed, for people who lick the bag after someone else eats the popcorn.

 

[nismaratwork]

Vaporz: Do you know what the word misogynist means? Look in the mirror.

To the popcorn, when popcorn "pops", it is a brief explosion of molten gelatinous starch that sets very rapidly. In addition to loss from unpopulated kernels, there is surely some loss due to ejecta which never conglomerates to become part of the popped kernel.

 

[Jon Richfield]

Vaporz: Do you know what the word misogynist means? Look in the mirror.

Having recently been embroiled in some prickly exchanges with someone whose name escapes me, I hesitate to say anything, but really Nismar, I think your response was far too kind! Such un-called-for trolling earned a monosyllabic label rather than tetrasyllabic, in particular something proportioned to the comprehension of the perpetrator!

Still, I do understand; no sense lowering yourself as far as that would require...

To the popcorn, when popcorn "pops", it is a brief explosion of molten gelatinous starch that sets very rapidly. In addition to loss from unpopulated kernels, there is surely some loss due to ejecta which never conglomerates to become part of the popped kernel.

As for the popcorn thing, most of the material considerations seem to have been addressed by now, though fairly well scattered. Obvious contributory factors include:
1: Some of the most calorie-rich material remains in the bag and gets wasted
2: The calorie concentration in terms of volume goes down drastically, but the calorie concentration in terms of a packet do not.
3: The calorie concentration in terms of mass increases slightly in proportion to the small mass of hulls that get shed in the process.
4: The calorie concentration in terms of mass increases not so slightly in proportion to the amount of water that gets lost.
5: The effective calorie content decreases slightly by denaturing starches and proteins into indigestible forms (eg racemised, oxidised, or cross-linked) that pass through unassimilated (though some of them are quite tasty.)
6: The effective calorie content decreases slightly by charring of (mainly) carbohydrates and a bit of fat. This increases the toxic content of the PC and adds zest to the flavour.
7: The effective calorie content decreases slightly by some carbohydrates and other nutrients being sequestered within degraded and hardened materials.
8: The effective difference in PC that has not been scorched to near-uneatability, is too slight to be taken seriously. It is probably smaller than the uncertainty in the filling of the packet or the few kernels dropped in the exciting moments of the movie.
9: Apart from some vitamin loss, and irrespective of the nutrient loss to charring and so on, popping the seeds greatly increases the proportion of nutrients that you can digest, unless you have the teeth and jaw-muscles of a black rhino (or a rat!) The only way most of us can assimilate raw hard grains effectively is either by softening it by sprouting it, or grinding it fine. Even then cooking helps.
Interesting stuff, popped (or parched) seeds; they are among our oldest cooked foods, to judge from archaeological evidence. But then, our distant ancestors were more concerned with increasing their caloric intake, not limiting it!

Cheers,
Jon