Name _____________________________
Junk Food Chemistry
Popcorn
http://amos.indiana.edu/library/scripts/popcorn.html
1. What percent of a popcorn kernel is water?
2. What makes popcorn kernels different from other grains?
3. Describe two reasons why a popcorn kernel might not "pop" properly?
http://home.howstuffworks.com/microwave2.htm
4. How is the heating process different in a microwave oven compared to a conventional oven?
5. Predict how microwaves are able to "pop" popcorn.
6. How is a crispy crust formed on a Hot Pocket when cooked in a microwave
Peanuts
http://www.nationalpeanutboard.org/classroom-funfacts.php
1. How many pounds of peanuts does an average American consume in a year? (This includes peanut
butter)
2. How long did it take Tom Miller to push a peanut to the top of Pike's Peak using his nose?
3. Which US presidents were peanut farmers?
4. Where did the term "Peanut Gallery" originate from?
5. How many peanuts does it take to make one 12-oz jar of peanut butter?
6. How many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches will the average child consume before he/she graduates
high school?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_energy
7. What biological process makes food energy available to humans?
8. Which units are used to measure food energy?
9. Define calorie.
10. Rank the following from greatest to least energy content per gram: carbohydrates, water, fats,
protein, and ethanol.
11. How is the energy content of food determined? (Hint: A device called a calorimeter is used)
12. What is the recommended daily energy intake for young adult men and women?
13. What happens to energy intake that is not used in the human body?
Ice Cream
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/stuff/8245icecream.html
1. Which ingredient provides ice cream with its distinctive smooth, rich flavor?
2. Surprisingly, 20-50% of the volume of ice cream is ________.
3. Even though it's made of ___to ___% water the ice-cream mix won't freeze at 0 °C. Instead, it
has to be cooled to even lower temperatures before any crystals form.
This _______-_______depression is a __________ property arising from the sugars and salts in the icecream solution. As crystals of pure ice form, the solution's sugar and salt concentration
increases, ___________ the freezing point further.
4. The size of the ice crystals in ice cream plays an important role in the quality of the product. How
does ice cream taste if the ice crysatls are small? large?
5. How can the size of ice crystals in ice cream be kept small in the manufacturing process, delivery,
retail store, and at home?
http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2008-08/playing-ice
6. What are the uses of liquid nitrogen in the kitchen?
7. List some properties of nitrogen.
8. Nitrogen makes up ___% of our air. How is pure Nitrogen removed from the air? (Hint: describe the
process of fractional distillation)
9. At what temperature does liquid nitrogen freeze? boil?
10. How is liquid nitrogen stored?
11. (Go to page 2) How is nitogen used to make ice cream and what are the advantages of doing so?
Pop Rocks
http://www.howstuffworks.com/question114.htm
1. When making hard candy, the ingredients are heated to a boil then to 300 o F. What is the
purpose in heating the candy to this extreme?
2. What might the candy be like if it were not heated long enough or to a high enough
temperature?
3. Explain why Pop Rocks pop!
Coke
http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/consumer/faq/why-phosphoric-acid-in-soda-pop.shtml
What acid is added to soda pop and why is it added?
What acids are found in fruit drinks?