Hostess Brands Inc., makers of Wonder Bread and Twinkies, filed for bankruptcy protection this week. In 2007, Leonard did a Please Explain on Twinkies, in which we found out that the golden, cream-filled snack cake contains 39 ingredients, including the popular emulsifier Polysorbate 60. Ploysorbate 60 is used to replace ingredients that spoil easily, like dairy and eggs, but it’s also used in shampoo.

Steve Ettlinger, author of Twinkie, Deconstructed, explained what he found out about the preservatives and chemicals found in Twinkies. He said: “Petroleum derivatives are used in a lot of foods. Pet, whether its crude oil or natural gas, contrib. the raw ingredients or the basic ingredients to artificial flavors, colors, vitamins, ascorbic acid, Polysorbate 60, sodium bicarbonate, and cellulose gum.”

Despite rumors that Twinkies last for decades, a Twinkie’s shelf life is officially 25 days. Listen to the interview here!