Welcome to BigScreenBiz.com

We've noticed recently that the oil we use (Pop All) at both of our theaters is different from what it use to be. When the popcorn is popped, it has a different smell and it has a slitly different taste from what it use to taste. Nobody has complained about the taste or anything but I'm just curious why this oil that we've been using for along time will suddenly have a different taste and smell. Is it possible that maybe we got a bad batch of oil or maybe the company changed the formula for their oil?

All organic (food) oils do go bad after a time, and there should be an expiration date on the container or attached documents. All oils will oxidize over time and thereby change chemically which will cause odor and taste changes. Coconut oil is perhaps the most resistant to change, but nothing is forever in the world of food.

Oils should be kept cool, dry, and dark. As mentioned, "oxidation" will eventually cause an oil to go rancid, with a mild off-taste at first, then a sickening taste. An "anti-oxidant" may be added by the manufacturer to retard spoilage.

---

John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Customer Technical Services
Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Eastman Kodak Company
Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Telephone: +1 585-477-5325 Cell: +1 585-781-4036 Fax: +1 585-722-7243
E-Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

John speaks of the possibility of "anti-oxidants" but even if they are listed, they DO NOT WORK FOREVER. There is or shold be, by law, an expiration date on any prepared food, which is what a cooking/popcorn oil is. For this reason be dilligent in monitoring the expiration dates on containers, as well as sampling your procucts for spoilage, even if only slight. You don't want the horrible affair I read of years back of members of the audience rising only to vomit and collapse in their seats; it was traced to rancid cooking oils in the popcorn. An incident like this cold ruin your attendance for years, and it would not be too hard for the health authorities to locate the source of the food poisoning and either seize your foodstufs, or close your theatre, which they do have the authority to do. If such should reach a court of law, your place could be recorded as a public menace, and any sales value as a cinema would be nil. To the old adage regarding foods: "Keep it Hot, Keep it Cold, Keep it Clean" we must also add 'Keep it (somewhat) Fresh!'

We do keep our oil in a cool, dry, dark place. I'll check but I don't think there is an experation date on the oils. We generally don't keep oil for more than a few months. This has never been a problem before until recently and it happened at both movie theaters. I cannot help but wonder if our popcorn supplier has sent us the oil that already went bad. Perhaps we'll need to say something to them the next time we order from them.

Sometimes just smelling the oil gives early warning of turning rancid. And you do taste every batch of popcorn, don't you? If it tastes bad, it probably is.

---

John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Customer Technical Services
Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Eastman Kodak Company
Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Telephone: +1 585-477-5325 Cell: +1 585-781-4036 Fax: +1 585-722-7243
E-Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion