{"id":165528,"date":"2024-10-24T18:55:26","date_gmt":"2024-10-25T00:55:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tecscience.tec.mx\/en\/?post_type=sciencecommunication&p=165528"},"modified":"2024-10-24T18:55:46","modified_gmt":"2024-10-25T00:55:46","slug":"popped-grains-flours","status":"publish","type":"sciencecommunication","link":"https:\/\/tecscience.tec.mx\/en\/science-communication\/popped-grains-flours\/","title":{"rendered":"The Popped Grains: How the Food Industry is Innovating"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By \u00c1ngel Humberto Cabrera Ram\u00edrez<\/a>, Marcela Gayt\u00e1n Mart\u00ednez<\/a>, Aurea Karina Ram\u00edrez Jim\u00e9nez<\/a>, Iv\u00e1n Andres Luzardo Ocampo<\/a> y Eduardo Morales S\u00e1nchez<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Popped sorghum and corn flours have demonstrated viscosity under different temperatures, making them ideal additives for products requiring thermal processing, such as soups and creams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They can also improve the texture and stability of items like yogurt, pasta, and baked goods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike other starch modification methods, such as chemical treatments, popping is a quick (seconds-long) and non-toxic process that preserves the grain’s nutritional and bioactive qualities (protein, fiber, resistant starch, antioxidants, etc.), while enhancing its tech-functional properties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Flours made from popped sorghum and corn grains<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Applying heat and causing structural transformations also improves other attributes, such as protein digestibility, and eliminates antinutritional compounds (which interfere with nutrient absorption and utilization).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This opens the door to a wide range of applications in the food industry, from creating healthier foods to developing products with innovative textures that appeal to consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flours from Popped Grains<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Popped grains, commonly known as \u201cpopcorn\u201d when made from sorghum and corn, have traditionally been used as delicious and healthy snacks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flours made from these popped grains possess technological properties that make them novel ingredients for the food industry, helping improve the stability and consistency of many foods we consume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cCIATEJ-IPN-UAQ-Tecnol\u00f3gico de Monterrey\u201d research group discovered that popping corn and sorghum grains produces flours with surprising technological properties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These flours can enhance certain food characteristics, such as water absorption, solubility, and viscosity, that provide stabilizing and emulsifying effects. As a result, they could become key ingredients in improving the texture and stability of everyday products like yogurt, pur\u00e9es, and sauces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can such a simple process have such a big impact? The answer is that the popping process involves a thermal application that modifies the grain’s structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Various sorghum varieties are moisture-adjusted in jars, and some popped sorghum is obtained from these varieties.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This process involves applying high temperatures (180 to 310 \u00b0C) for short periods (90 to 240 seconds), causing water vapor to increase inside the grain. This builds pressure that bursts the outer layer (pericarp) and rapidly expands the grain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This structural change affects texture and alters the grain\u2019s \u201cphysicochemical\u201d and \u201crheological\u201d properties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transforming Starch<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To understand how this relatively simple process has significant implications for grain properties, we must focus on its main component\u2014starch. Starch makes up about 60% of the grain\u2019s total weight and is one of the primary energy-storage carbohydrates in plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the popping process, the starch undergoes dry gelatinization. It breaks apart, rearranges, and forms new bonds. This results in a physical transformation, turning the starch from a semi-spherical shape (Figure 3a) into a porous, honeycomb-like structure (Figure 3b).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Micrograph of starch granules (a) in raw grain and the formation of a honeycomb structure after popping (b). Note: The micrographs were colorized for educational purposes.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This physical change gives popped grain flours a greater ability to absorb and interact with water and oil, as both can fill the newly formed \u201choles.\u201d This, in turn, affects their ability to act as stabilizers in various food products. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this context, \u201cstabilizers\u201d help bind other ingredients together or provide structural support to prevent them from separating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flours from popped grains represent a promising area of innovation in the food industry, particularly in unconventional grains like sorghum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their ability to enhance consistency, stability, and texture makes them valuable ingredients in processed food formulations. With further research, these flours could revolutionize large-scale food production and development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Multidisciplinary research team, from left to right: Iv\u00e1n A. Luzardo-Ocampo (Tecnol\u00f3gico de Monterrey), Aurea K. Ram\u00edrez-Jim\u00e9nez (Tecnol\u00f3gico de Monterrey), Eduardo Morales-S\u00e1nchez (IPN), \u00c1ngel H. Cabrera-Ram\u00edrez (CIATEJ, Southeast Subsidiary), and Marcela Gayt\u00e1n-Mart\u00ednez (UAQ).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

References<\/h4>\n\n\n\n