... He and his associates compared the microwave popping performance of 14 Indiana-grown popcorn varieties and examined the crystalline structure of the translucent hulls of both the popped kernels and the duds.
In the varieties popped, the percentage of unpopped kernels ranged from 4 percent in premium brands to 47 percent in the cheaper ones.
The findings could be good news for people who savor the snack and those who grow the 17 billion quarts of popcorn sold each year in the United States.
Wendy Boersema Rappel, a spokeswoman for the Chicago-based Popcorn Board, said popcorn processors are always looking for ways to improve their product, including reducing the number of old maids.
"It's one of life's annoyances it's not rocking anyone's world, but our members always like to improve their product," Rappel said.
Hamaker said two popcorn manufacturers have already expressed interest in Purdue's findings.
Popcorn afficiandos can check out the entire story at the link below:
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=689898