Puffed grain

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Puffed amaranth (left) and rice (right) Amarant burizony.jpg
Puffed amaranth (left) and rice (right)
Puffed corn Gangnaengi.jpg
Puffed corn
Puffed wheat Puffed wheat BMK.jpg
Puffed wheat

Puffed grains are grains that have been expanded ("puffed") through processing. They have been made for centuries with the simplest methods like popping popcorn. Modern puffed grains are often created using high temperature, pressure, or extrusion.

Contents

People eat puffed grains in many ways, but it can be as simple as puffed grain alone and with sugar or salt for taste. Commercial products such as corn flakes and Corn Pops mix many ingredients into a homogeneous batter. The batter is then formed into shapes then toasted and/or extruded. This causes them to rise, but not puff or pop. Puffed grains can be healthful if plain, but when other ingredients are mixed with them they may lose some of their health benefits. [1]

Puffed grains are popular as breakfast cereals and in the form of rice cakes. While it is easy to recognize that cereals came from whole grains, the expansion factor for rice cakes is even greater, and the final product is somewhat more homogeneous.

History

The oldest puffed grain was found in west-central New Mexico in 1948 and 1950. Ears of popcorn were found that were up to 4,000 years old. These pieces of puffed grain were smaller than a penny to two inches in size and can be made in a similar way to popping popcorn. [2]

Rice has been puffed since ancient times using a technique called hot salt frying in which parboiled rice (e.g. steamed and then dried) is puffed by preheated salt. [3]

The modern process of making puffed grains was invented by Dr. Alexander P. Anderson in 1901 in Red Wing, Minnesota. He was doing an experiment dealing with the effect of heat and pressure on corn starch granules where he put them in six glass tubes, sealed them, and put them in an oven until they changed color. When Dr. Anderson took them out and cracked them open an explosion happened; he had made the corn starch turn into a puffed, white mass. [4]

A popcorn "cannon" seen in Taiyuan, China J84878 Taiyuan 20140717-175938.61 popper.jpg
A popcorn "cannon" seen in Taiyuan, China

Anderson’s invention eventually became the Popcorn cannon, also called the Chinese popcorn maker. As an antiquated way of making popcorn in Asia, the grain puffing cannon gradually began to become associated with China in the late 20th century. [5] The device is a teardrop-shaped pressure cooking pot. [6] Although the device was ubiquitously associated with China, the exact historical timeline of grain-puffing device in Asia remained unverifiable. [7] [8]

According to University of Hong Kong researcher Xiaomeng Liu and Chinese media, [7] [8] Anderson's invention was designed for industrial use, thus unsuitable for street vendors. [8] The original invention was likely spread to other European countries around World War I to improve the longevity of the food under difficult conditions. [7] In 1940s, Yoshimura Toshiko (吉村利子) heard German people were using old cannons to puff grain; thus, she designed a portable grain-puffing device called Pongashi ki (ポン菓子機) in 1944 to 1945. [7] [8]

The Japanese version was unrelated to the Chinese popcorn cannon because the latter appeared in China in the 1930s [9] and photographed by Scottish missionary couple Ian and Rachel Morrison in 1938, years before Yoshimura completed her invention. [8] It's unknown how portable popcorn cannons were introduced to China in the 1930s and the prevalence of such devices. [8] Another photo in China showed the machine under inspection by an American officer in a military supply factory in Chongqing. As similar machines were introduced to South Korea by the United States in the 1950s, Xiaomeng Liu theorized that the portable popcorn cannon was likely invented in the United States and subsequently introduced to East Asian countries. However, there is no definitive proof available. [8]

Manufacture

Video showing process using large corn kernels in a roadside machine sometimes called a "popcorn hammer" in Haikou, Hainan, China.

Puffed rice can be produced using the simple but effective method of hot salt frying. Salt is heated in a pan until it is hot enough to pop rice added to it within seconds. Parboiled or dried pre-cooked rice is added to the heated contents of the pan and stirred. Puffing starts almost immediately and completes in less than a minute and the rice is scooped out by a sieve.

High pressure puffed grain is created by placing whole grains under high pressure with steam in a containment vessel. When the vessel's seal is suddenly broken, the entrained steam then flashes and bloats the endosperm of the kernel, increasing its volume to many times its original size.

Puffed rice or other grains are occasionally found as street food in China, Korea (called "ppeong twigi" 뻥튀기), and Japan (called "pon gashi" ポン菓子), where hawkers implement the puffing process using an integrated pushcart/puffer featuring a rotating steel pressure chamber heated over an open flame. The great booming sound produced by the release of pressure serves as advertising.

Manufacturing puffed grain by venting a pressure chamber is essentially a batch process. To achieve large-scale efficiencies, continuous-process equipment has been developed whereby the pre-cooked cereal is injected into a high pressure steam chamber. It then exits the steam chamber via a Venturi tube to an expansion chamber, where the puffed cereal is collected and conveyed to the next process step. These devices, generally called stream puffing machines, were perfected in the latter half of the 20th century in Switzerland and Italy, but are now available from manufacturers in China as well.

List of puffed food

Puffed grain foods

Popcorn (left) and popped sorghum (right) Popcorn and pop sorghum.jpg
Popcorn (left) and popped sorghum (right)
Mexican alegria bars made from puffed amaranth seeds Alegrias03.JPG
Mexican alegría bars made from puffed amaranth seeds
Filipino ampaw bars made from puffed rice Ampao from Carcar, Cebu.jpg
Filipino ampaw bars made from puffed rice
Filipino cornick made from glutinous corn 09679jfFilipino cuisine foods desserts breads Landmarks Bulacanfvf 02.jpg
Filipino cornick made from glutinous corn
Awaokoshi, puffed millet sweets from Japan Awaokoshi 01.jpg
Awaokoshi, puffed millet sweets from Japan

Snacks and food products made from puffed grain include:

Puffed dough foods

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porridge</span> Food

Porridge is a food made by heating or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, fruit, or syrup to make a sweet cereal, or it can be mixed with spices, meat, or vegetables to make a savoury dish. It is usually served hot in a bowl, depending on its consistency. Oat porridge, or oatmeal, is one of the most common types of porridge. Gruel is a thinner version of porridge and congee is a savoury variation of porridge of Asian origin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breakfast cereal</span> Processed food made from grain

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Popcorn</span> Type of corn kernel which expands and puffs up on heating

Popcorn is a variety of corn kernel which expands and puffs up when heated; the same names also refer to the foodstuff produced by the expansion.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corn Pops</span> Breakfast cereal made by Kelloggs

Corn Pops is a puffed grain breakfast cereal made by WK Kellogg Co, described by the company as "crunchy sweetened popped-up corn cereal." The cereal was introduced in 1950 as "Corn Pops". In 1951, the name was changed to "Sugar Corn Pops" and later to "Sugar Pops". It was the sponsor for The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok radio and television show. The name was changed back to 'Sugar Corn Pops' in 1978, and finally returned to 'Corn Pops' in 1984, a time when many cereals dropped the word "sugar" from their titles for marketing reasons. In January 2006, the name of the cereal was changed to 'Pops', but after a few months of poor reception was changed back to Corn Pops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crispix</span> Breakfast cereal made by WK Kellogg Co

Crispix is a brand of breakfast cereal, introduced by Kellogg's in 1983. It was created specifically to compete with Ralston Purina's Chex family of cereals, which had about $125 million in annual sales and no significant competition. By 1987, Crispix had sales of about $65 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kix (cereal)</span> Breakfast cereal made by General Mills

Kix is an American brand of breakfast cereal introduced in 1937 by the General Mills company of Golden Valley, Minnesota. The product is an extruded, expanded puffed-grain cereal made with cornmeal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parboiled rice</span> Partially cooked rice

Parboiled rice, also called converted rice, easy-cook rice, sella rice, and miniket is rice that has been partially boiled in the husk. The three basic steps of parboiling are soaking, steaming and drying. These steps make the rice easier to process by hand, while also boosting its nutritional profile, changing its texture, and making it more resistant to weevils. The treatment is practiced in many other parts of the world.

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The Smith's Snackfood Company is a British-Australian snack food brand owned by the American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation PepsiCo. It is best known for its brand of potato crisps. The company was founded by Frank Smith and Jim Viney in the United Kingdom in 1920 as Smiths Potato Crisps Ltd, originally packaging a twist of salt with its crisps in greaseproof paper bags which were sold around London. The dominant brand in the UK until the 1960s when Golden Wonder took over with Cheese & Onion, Smith's countered by creating Salt & Vinegar flavour which was launched nationally in 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puffed rice</span> Types of puffed grain made from rice

Puffed rice and popped rice are types of puffed grain made from rice commonly eaten in the traditional cuisines of Southeast Asia, East Asia, and South Asia. It has also been produced commercially in the West since 1904 and is popular in breakfast cereals and other snack foods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rice cake</span> Food item made from rice

A rice cake may be any kind of food item made from rice that has been shaped, condensed, or otherwise combined into a single object. A wide variety of rice cakes exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten. Common variations include cakes made with rice flour, those made from ground rice, and those made from whole grains of rice compressed together or combined with some other binding substance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Popcorn maker</span> Type of food preparation device

A popcorn maker is a machine used to pop popcorn. Since ancient times, popcorn has been a popular snack food, produced through the explosive expansion of kernels of heated corn (maize). Commercial large-scale popcorn machines were invented by Charles Cretors in the late 19th century. Many types of small-scale home methods for popping corn also exist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander P. Anderson</span> US botanist and inventor

Alexander Pierce Anderson was an American plant physiologist, botanist, educator and inventor. His scientific experiments led to the discovery of "puffed rice", a starting point for a new breakfast cereal that was later advertised as "Food Shot From Guns".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ampaw</span> Filipino sweet puffed rice cake

Ampaw, ampao or arroz inflado, usually anglicized as pop rice or puffed rice, is a Filipino sweet puffed rice cake. It is traditionally made with sun-dried leftover cooked white rice that is fried and coated with syrup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puffcorn</span> Puffed or extruded corn snacks

Puffcorn or corn puffs are puffed or extruded corn snacks made with corn meal, which can be baked or fried.

References

  1. "Puffed Rice Nutrition." LIVESTRONG.COM. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2013.
  2. "History of Popcorn." History of Popcorn. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2013.
  3. Church, A. H. (1886). Food-Grains in India. Chapman and Hall. pp.  73-75.
  4. "Dr. Alexander P. Anderson - 1982 Inductee." Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame -. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2013.
  5. Kao, Ernest (23 January 2013). "Old-school Chinese popcorn machine baffles MythBusters but leaves netizens amused". South China Morning Post.
  6. Fisher, Max (24 January 2013). "Big news in China: 'Mythbusters' blew up a Chinese popcorn maker". The Washington Post.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "老式爆米花机一个世纪的流浪". Huxiu. 10 September 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Liu, Xiaomeng (15 December 2020). "The Popcorn Maker — An American Technology's Journey to East Asia". Hong Kong University.
  9. "老照片解读爆米花历史:不仅是零食,曾是抗战军粮". Sohu News. 14 May 2019.