IT might be the coolest new treat at the Royal Adelaide Show, but there are health warnings over popcorn doused in liquid nitrogen

More than just a cup of colourful corn, the novelty food can make you blow smoke from your nostrils.

Nitro Pop stall holder owner Georgia Miller said the treat was completely safe and decided to bring it to Adelaide after seeing it in action in the US.

“It is just normal popcorn (but) you mix it with the liquid nitrogen,” she said. “It is cold and crunchy.”

The popcorn comes in five flavours – bubblegum, strawberry, caramel, orange and grape.

But there have been concerns – US Food and Drug Administration issued a warning last week on foods made with liquid nitrogen at the point of consumption.

Joyce Haddad, dietetics researcher at Flinders University, said “the cold temperatures of this chemical can cause serious injury including serious cold burns… and may also cause breathing difficulty”.

SA Health spokeswoman Joanne Cammans said their general advice was that liquid nitrogen “was non-toxic when used correctly, however it can cause severe damage to the skin and internal organs… if ingested or handled the wrong way.”

She said while liquid nitrogen was classified as a dangerous good under the Australian Dangerous Goods Code, it is used in the food industry to freeze foods and is approved as a food additive under the Food Standards Code.

“We would advise people with asthma avoid eating anything that comes in gas form, as it may exacerbate the symptoms.”

Ms Miller said the product was “100 per cent safe” because any excess liquid nitrogen was poured off the popcorn before serving.

“I shake the cup upside down with a spoon that has holes in it to make sure that if it does have any liquid it comes down and out of the spoon. What’s left is the vapour and the vapours are not harmful,” she said.

Carrington Miller gave it a taste test and said “it tasted “fruity and delicious”.

“It feels weird. It feels like you’re putting snow in your mouth and breathing it out.”