During his 31-year career, he introduced new teaching methods to students. One method is the legend of the 'Twinkie' which looms over all. The twinkie was still standing with a few speckles of mold until the day he retired. Bennatti experimented with the shelf life of a twinkie to see how long it would take deteriorate. He estimated the twinkie to have a 31-year-old shelf life! Twinkies are full of preservatives, oil, fat, and sugar. A twinkie consists of about 1/3 fat calories. The high amount of preservatives and stabilizers helps with the longevity of a twinkie.