What determines seed shape in corn kernels?

Kernel size (small medium or large) and shape (round or flat) is determined primarily by the position of the kernels on the ear. Seed size and shape can also vary by hybrid and weather conditions during seed production, including temperature and rainfall.

What determines the shape of popcorn?

Each kernel contains a tiny bit of water surrounded by starch. As the kernel heats up, the water vapor expands, turns into steam and heats the surrounding starch into a gooey mess. At a high enough pressure, the starch goop bursts through the shell and then cools down quickly into the fluffy popcorn shapes.

What is the size of a corn seed?

As early as 1937, Dr. Kiesselbach (University of Nebraska) compared across several years, large (29.2 g or 1.03 oz/100 seed) and small (15.8 g or 0.56 oz/100 seed) seed of open-pollinated corn.

What is the texture of corn?

Sweet corn kernels contain phytoglycogen, which provides the characteristic creamy texture. The covering or pericarp of the kernel contributes to the sense of texture. The pericarp of su and se corn is similar, while the pericarp of sh2 corn may have a crunchy texture or firmness, depending on variety.

What type of corn has coloration?

Coloration. The coloration of flint corn is often different from white and yellow dent corns, many of which were bred later. Most flint corn is multi-colored.

Why are popcorn kernels round?

Describing popcorn as having a “mushroom” or “butterfly” type refers to the shape of the popped kernels. Because the popped kernels are round, they present a larger surface to hold coatings and are less likely to crumble during preparation.

Why are popcorn kernels shaped different?

This question originally appeared on Quora. There are actually two different shapes of popcorn, “butterfly” and “mushroom.” In both cases, what happens when the popcorn pops is that the pressure causes a failure in the skin of the kernel. And when these lobes expand away from each other, you get butterfly popcorn.

What is the width of a kernel of corn?

Similar results were indicated for sweet corn kernel by Karababa and Coşkuner (2007) . … There were changes in geometric mean diameter for Opeaburoo and Abontem from 8.11 to 8.02 mm and 8.21 to 7.43 mm, respectively, as the MC decreased from 22.3 to 12.8\% wb for Opeaburoo and 21.5 to 12.3\% wb for Abontem.

How big is a popcorn kernel?

In the moisture range, kernel length, width, thickness, arithmetic mean diameter, and geometric mean diameter increased linearly from 8.18 to 9.14 mm, 5.71 to 6.32 mm, 3.65 to 4.90 mm, 5.85 to 6.79 mm and 5.54 to 6.55 mm respectively with increase in moisture content from 8.95\% to 17.12\%.

What kind of corn is popcorn?

There’s only one variety of maize that will make it – Zea mays everta. Though it looks like a typical corn kernel, this particular variety is the only one that has the ability to pop and turn into a delicious snack. Archaeologists have discovered that people have known about popcorn for thousands of years.