Popcorn Cultivation
Popcorn seeds are bred to produce desirable traits such as grain color, seed strength and successful popping. Most of the world's popcorn is grown in the United States. Farmers use a corn planter to place the popcorn seeds. The seed germinates in approximately seven days and emerges from the soil in ten days. As the popcorn plant grows, the stalk reaches approximately eight feet in height and produces long, green leaves. As the plant grows, it begins to produce ears of corn, covered with a green leaf like husk. Feathers form at the top of the plant and produce pollen. The ears form silky long strands that "catch" pollen as the wind blows. This process is called pollination and this allows the ears to produce kernels. Once the ears have kernels, the plant matures to become dry and brown.
Popcorn is mostly harvested when the kernel’s moisture content is between 16-20 percent. It is this moisture that allows the popcorn kernel to pop on applying heat. Popcorn is sometimes ear-harvested, where the whole ear of corn is cut and stored for 8-12 months, until the moisture levels in the kernels reach desired levels.
Popcorn is usually harvested with a machine. The machine has a "corn head" which strips the ear from the stalk. The ear is then fed into the machine which then shells the kernels from the cob and ejects the cob out of the back of the machine. The kernels are then transported to a storage bin. The bins have a perforated floor and air is forced through the floor to dry the corn to a 14 percent moisture level - the ideal level for popping corn.
Very often the popcorn is also harvested on the ear with a corn picker, which picks the corn on the cob without removing the kernels. The corn dries on the cob and kernels are later removed from the ear.
Popcorn kernels are moved over a vibrating screen in order to separate the kernels from other particles. The gravity separator eliminates lightweight particles such as small kernels. The kernels are polished, eliminating any final plant material clinging to the kernel. The kernels are then packaged for microwave or bulk distribution.
