What Makes A Twinkie?

Twinkies contain actual flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, water and a trace of egg. But the rest of the 39 ingredients are not generally what you find in a pantry.

THE FILLING

• Shortening (in the form of partially hydrogenated vegetable oil and/or beef fat) is the main ingredient.
• Polysorbate 60 is a gooey substance that helps replace cream and eggs at a fraction of the cost. It's derived from corn, palm oil and petroleum.
• Cellulose gum gives the crème filling a smooth, slippery feel.
• Artificial vanillin is synthesized in petrochemical plants. The real thing comes from finicky tropical orchids that are pollinated by hand on the one day they bloom.

THE CAKE

• Lecithin is an emulsifier made from soy. It's also used in paint to keep pigments evenly dispersed.
• Diacetyl mimics the taste of butter, since the real stuff would go rancid on a store shelf.
• Cornstarch is a common thickener. But it's more often used to make cardboard and packing peanuts.
• Yellow No. 5, Red No. 40 give the cake the golden look of eggs.
• Sorbic acid, the only actual preservative in Twinkies, comes from petroleum.

TWINKIE FACTS

• Calories: 145 each
• Shelf life: 25 days—not years, as urban legend would have it
• History: In 1930, James Dewar found a way to use idle baking pans. He named the cakes after seeing an ad for "Twinkle-Toe" shoes. Shelf life was just two to three days.

Eating Out Isn't Always Eating Healthy