What's in a Twinkie

Since I was a kid there has been a certain mystery as to what is in those lovely pastry like snacks call Twinkies. Well here it is, and no matter what I find I will not stop eating these things because they taste so good.

Ingredients in order of appearance on the package.	Description according to resources found below.
Sugar	Sugars are a type of carbohydrate made by plants. Plants contain varying amounts of different sugars e.g. glucose, fructose, sucrose. Sucrose is made up of glucose and fructose. It is the most abundant sugar in plants. Sugar beet (a vegetable) and sugar cane (a grass) naturally contain particularly large amounts of sucrose.
Enriched Flour	The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandates the enrichment of refined wheat products such as white flour, wheat bread and other bakery goods. Regulations regarding enrichment can be found in the Code of Federal Regulation 21 CFR 136-138. Basically, any refined version of wheat must be enriched with the following 5 nutrients: riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, thiamin mononitrate, and iron (calcium enrichment is optional). Unrefined whole wheat products are not required to be enriched.
Glucose	Sugars are a type of carbohydrate made by plants. Plants contain varying amounts of different sugars e.g. glucose, fructose, sucrose. Sucrose is made up of glucose and fructose. It is the most abundant sugar in plants. Sugar beet (a vegetable) and sugar cane (a grass) naturally contain particularly large amounts of sucrose.
Vegetable Oil	Oil from vegetable matter.
Palm Oil Shortening	In research
Liquid Whole Eggs	Something a chicken makes.
Water	You probably know water's chemical description is H2O. As the diagram to the left shows, that is one atom of oxygen bound to two atoms of hydrogen. The hydrogen atoms are "attached" to one side of the oxygen atom, resulting in a water molecule having a positive charge on the side where the hydrogen atoms are and a negative charge on the other side, where the oxygen atom is. Since opposite electrical charges attract, water molecules tend to attract each other, making water kind of "sticky." As the right-side diagram shows, the side with the hydrogen atoms (positive charge) attracts the oxygen side (negative charge) of a different water molecule. (If the water molecule here looks familiar, remember that everyone's favorite mouse is mostly water, too).
Liquid Egg Yolks	see Liquid Whole Eggs.
Modified Milk Ingredients	Modified milk ingredients are defined in item 7.1, subsection B.01.010 (3) of the FDR, as "any of the following in liquid, concentrated, dry, frozen or reconstituted form, namely, calcium reduced skim milk (obtained by the ion-exchange process), casein, caseinates, cultured milk products, milk serum proteins, ultrafiltered milk, whey, whey butter, whey cream and any other component of milk the chemical state of which has been altered from that in which it is found in milk".
Baking Powder	In research
Soyabean Oil	In research
Salt	Salt serves many purposes. Humans and other animals have an inherent taste for this essential nutrient. Salt is the world's oldest known food additive. People use many types of sodium chloride in food processing, cooking or at the table -- at home or in restaurants. Each makes its unique contribution. Besides contributing its own basic "salty" taste, salt brings out natural flavors and makes foods acceptable, protects food safety by retarding the growth of spoilage microorganisms, gives proper texture to processed foods, serves as a control agent to regulate the rate of fermentation in food processing strengthens gluten in bread, provides the color, aroma and appearance consumers expect and is used to create the gel necessary to process meats and sausages. As a result, more heavily processed foods usually contain more sodium and salt. The world's great chefs appreciate salt's many culinary benefits, including surprising applications like salt in desserts. Salt should be part of every family's food storage program. Beyond nutrition, people use sodium chloride for several necessary functions in food processing and cooking, including: Preservative: Salt preserves foods by creating a hostile environment for certain microorganisms. Within foods, salt brine dehydrates bacterial cells, alters osmotic pressure and inhibits bacterial growth and subsequent spoilage.
Corn Starch	In research
Modified Corn Starch	In research
Sorbitan Monosterate	may increase th absorption of fat-soluble substances
Potassium Sorbate	no known adverse effects
Soya Protein	In research
Polysorbate 60	emulsifiers derived from animal fatty acids; used as synthetic flavorings, surfactants, defoaming agents and dough conditioners; may increase the absorption of fat-soluble substances
Soya Lecthin	In research
Natural and Artificial Flavors	In research
Color	In research
Contains Tartrazine	FD&C Yellow No.5; known to provoke asthma attacks (though the US FDA** do not recognize this) and urticaria (nettle rash) in children (the US FDA** estimates 1:10 000); also linked to thyroid tumors, chromosomal damage, urticaria (hives) and hyperactivity; tartrazine sensitivity is also linked to aspirin sensitivity; used to color drinks, sweets, jams, cereals, snack foods, canned fish, packaged soups; banned in Norway and Austria

Here's a list of all the places I received the information above:

Food Additives Guide - http://www.additives.8m.com/english.htm

The Sugar Bureau - http://www.sugar-bureau.co.uk/

Whole Foods Market - http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/

Canadian Food Inspection Agency - http://www.inspection.gc.ca/

Water Science for Schools - http://wwwga.usgs.gov/edu/

Salt Institute - http://www.saltinstitute.org/

Wow who knew what made up those little snacks that go great with any meal, and I mean any meal. I learned a little something and now all I need to know is how I could possibly get the cream out of the middle without making a huge mess.

What's yellow on the outside and white on the inside?  Besides a Twinkie, it's an Irishman in a bananna suit!  Speaking of costumes, how about buying an angel costume for that Halloween party?  Need a santa suit for Christmas?  We go those too.  We have kids costumes and adult costumes alike.  And they're not as fattening!

Don't see a navigation bar? Click here.