We have all heard the rumor that Twinkies are so artificial that they will survive to the end of time. But few of us have ever tested that theory. So, when Colin Purrington found an 8-year-old box of Twinkies, he decided to eat them.
Purrington told NPR, "When there's no desserts in the house, you get desperate".
As soon as he took a bite, he knew something was wrong. The Twinkies had something growing in them.
Don't worry, Purrington did not buy these old Twinkies at a shop. Apparently he stockpiled them, and other Hostess products, in 2012 when Hostess filed for bankruptcy. He worried that he would not be able to buy their products if they closed shop.
He sent the rest of the Twinkies to Matt Kasson, an associate professor at West Virginia University.
The first thing Kasson noticed was that the packaging was sucked inward. This means that the organism that grew in the Twinkie must have been in the Twinkie before the package was sealed.
The vacuumed packaging indicates that the fungus used all the available oxygen. However, Kasson was able to find some fungal spores, which he grew in his lab. This helped to identify the fungus as Cladosporium.
It is likely all around you right now. It is most known for causing allergic reactions. If you have a mold allergy, you are likely reacting to the Cladosporium in your house. But overall, many species of Cladosporium are harmless. The exact species of Cladosporium found in the Twinkies still needs to be identified. A DNA test will solve that mystery.
Not surprisingly, none of the 8-year-old "food" was still good. Now, he is having an old Ho Ho analyzed. At least he didn't try eating it!
If nothing else, this story is a good reminder to clean out our cupboards!
h/t: IFL Science
