Kinetics of popping of popcorn

The rate of popping of popcorn was measured in oil and in air. Kinetic data for lifetimes of individual kernels from a large population were obtained in oil at six constant temperatures (180-250degreesC) and also in an air-popper at 202degreesC. The data are characterized by an induction period, which is, significantly, followed by a first-order decrease in the number of unpopped kernels versus time. The activation energy for the first order process is 166.7 kJ/mol between 180 and 210degreesC, and 53.8 kJ/mol between 210 and 250degreesC. These data are consistent with a model that assumes 1) that the rate of heat transfer into a kernel follows Newton's law of cooling; 2) that in a sample of kernels there exists a distribution of critical pressures; 3) that for an individual kernel, the probability of popping is directly proportional to the difference between the internal aqueous vapor pressure and the kernel's critical pressure; and 4) that the measured rate constant at any temperature is an average overall of the kernels in the sample with critical pressures equal to or less than the internal aqueous vapor pressure. Minimum popping temperatures predicted by the model are 181 +/- 2degreesC (oil) and 187 +/- 2degreesC (air), in good agreement with previously reported direct measurements.