Sell-by dates and Yellow #5: The truth about Peeps

Peep season is in full swing.

The sugary flock has flown to supermarket aisles everywhere, its confectionary plumage in yellow, pink and blue.

Peeps are a particularly divisive delight, and a source of sweet tooth controversy nationwide. Some love 'em, some hate 'em, some microwave 'em.

Concerns about cavities aside, the Peep has ruled the Easter treat roost for decades. But how much do we really know about our faux-feathered friends?

1) Every Peep used to be one-of-a-kind.

Once upon a time, in the early 1950s, every Peep was made by hand. An assembly line of women would use pastry tubes to squirt out and sculpt each and every mallow-chick. The process took 27 hours, due to the marshmallows' long cooling time.

Now, Just Born Inc. can churn out up to 5.5 million Peeps a day with its automated process. Technology's a beautiful thing, no?

The Peeps factory is located in Bethlehem, Pa., and in one year it produces enough Peeps to circle the world — twice.

2) Many Peeps go uneaten each year — no surprise there — but not for the reason you might think.

Matt Pye, the vice president of corporate affairs for Just Born, told USA Today that an estimated one-third of Peeps are used for decoration rather than consumption.

3) Peeps are not indestructible, after all.

Peeps, like Twinkies, have long been rumored to be immortal.

This is not the case. (And Twinkies, it turns out, do expire.)

Two scientists at Emory University tackled this important subject, with a hefty dose of good humor. They claimed the Peeps survived cigarette smoke, boiling water and even a dip in liquid nitrogen, but sulfuric acid ultimately took them down.

The folks at Just Born, on the other hand, said Peeps have a suggested shelf life of two years.

4) Peeps have become a chic ingredient.

Just popping a Peep in your mouth is so 2004. Peeps have now earned a place at the culinary table.

There's Peep-za (Peeps on pizza), deep-friend Peeps and even Peep-shi. Yes, that's Peep sushi.

Did we mention Peep cocktails?

5) Peep jousting is a sport — at least on the Internet.

6) The ingredient list for Peeps is more than just sugar.

What's really in that puffed-up sugar flock? We asked Ryan Elias, a professor of food science at Penn State University, to break it down for us. First up: certified dye.

How else could you get that hyper bright glow? The classic color, Chicken Yellow, comes from Yellow #5. "The color is extremely stable overtime," said Elias, "which means it won't fade during its shelf life like many other natural colorants would."

Yellow #5 is a frequent flyer in the food aisle, making its way into some macaroni and cheese brands, soda and even pickles. Elias said that switching from synthetic colorants like Yellow #5 to natural colorants is a major priority for many large food companies, but research is still underway to find a suitable, plant-based alternative.

Potassium sorbate also makes an appearance on the ingredients list. It's part of the Peep's extensive beauty routine: It keeps the mold away.

Carnauba wax also helps keep Peeps looking their best. The wax adds shine, giving each Peep that twinkle in the eye.

And then, of course, there are the "natural flavors." Anyone who has ever read an ingredient list has run across this vague term on many an occasion. What does it really mean? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration defines it like this:

The term natural flavor or natural flavoring means the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.

"Basically," Elias said. "This is a very big category that includes compounds derived from plant, animal, or microbial sources."

Grandma always said: A little dash of microbial extract makes everything better.