A 40-year-old experiment may be serving as proof that Twinkies are built to stand the test of time.
According to the Bangor Daily News, an experiment that was started in 1976 by a chemistry teacher at the time, Roger Bennatti, has continued on at George Stevens Academy.
Forty years ago, Bennatti unwrapped a new Twinkie and placed it on top of his chalkboard so students could track whether it would decompose.
All these years later, the Twinkie remains intact inside a glass case on the shelf of Libby Rosemeier, dean of students. Aside from losing a few crumbs and looking a little pale compared to the usual golden color, it is still recognizable.
“Kids have said, ‘Can I take a bite?’” Rosemeier told the Bangor Daily News. “The most remarkable thing to me is that this is a piece food that is 40 years old and the shape is basically unchanged.”
A student who was in the classroom at the time the experiment began says that it started with a study on the chemistry of food.
The Twinkie remained in Bennatti’s classroom for 28 years, until he retired and left it in Rosemeier’s care.
“I consider it an ongoing science experiment,” Bennatti told the Bangor Daily News. “It’s important [for students] to realize that some scientific experiments don’t take 45 minutes.”
This is not the first time that the Twinkie has been featured in the news, and this likely won’t be the last.
“The Twinkie is a story that will never die,” Bennatti told the Bangor Daily News.
Read more at the Bangor Daily News.
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