Why can’t we digest corn, but on the other hand popcorn is easily digested?
In: Biology
Well, for one, you need to chew your food better. Outer shell of corn kernel is cellulose which is indigestible for humans, but your teeth should have no problem shredding it cooked. It’s still indigestible in popcorn but the water pressure broke it open into multiple pieces (just like chewing will do).
The indigestible part of corn is the outer shell. When you pop popcorn, that is the part that’s blown off.
Humans do not have the necessary digestive enzymes to break down the tough outer shell of corn. We do, however, break down the inside of corn kernels just fine, and get nutrients from that.
Popcorn is much the same, except the inside is dried and exploded, leaving only small pieces of the outer shell *which don’t really digest when you eat them either*.
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