MIT Reveals Why It’s So Difficult to Perfectly Separate Two Oreo Halves

MIT is doing the science of splitting oreos, a well-founded experiment in rheology.

Researchers at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have created a 3D printed device to better understand the science behind separating two halves of an Oreo cookie. Called the Oreometer, their device uses rubber bands and coins to control the amount of torque applied to each side when a cookie is halved. Adding pieces to one side rotates one of the two cameras and separates the Oreo.

MIT is doing Oreos separation science

After testing different types of Oreo, the researchers concluded that almost everyone who has eaten Oreo knows that the cream often sticks to one side, even with the Double and Mega Stuf varieties. However, according to the team, speed plays a role. If you do the operation very quickly, it will take more effort to separate it. Surprisingly, the scientists also found that the cream separated more evenly from the old cookie packs.

The researchers believe the manufacturing process of Oreo is one of the reasons for this phenomenon: “Production videos show that they first put the first slice, then they put cream on that slice, and then they put the second slice on top,” says Crystal Owens. doctoral student in mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “Obviously, because of this slight delay, the cream adheres better to the first slice.”

Absolutely reliable experience of rheology

This study was published in the journal Physics of Fluids because it represents a very serious exercise in rheology, namely the study of the deformation and flow of matter under an applied constraint. The researchers determined that depending on how the food reacts to stress, it should be classified as “soft”rather than brittle, hard, or rubbery. They also found that the force required to deform the filling or make it liquid is similar to that of mozzarella and twice that of peanut butter or cream cheese.

There are other interesting benefits to this study: “My 3D printed e-liquids are in the same class as Oreos creams,” explains Crystal Owens. “These results may help me improve inks when trying to print flexible carbon nanotube electronics, because carbon nanotubes deform in much the same way.”

Also, Crystal Owens suggests that if the inside of each Oreo half were more textured, it would be able to grab the cream better and the filling would separate better. “In their current setup, we found that there was no technique to separate the cream evenly.”

If you want to try the experiment, you can download the 3D rudometer plans.