Coca-Cola formula

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A glass of Coca-Cola

The Coca-Cola formula is The Coca-Cola Company's secret recipe for Coca-Cola. As a publicity marketing strategy started by Robert W. Woodruff, the company presents the formula as a closely held trade secret known only to a few employees, mostly executives.

Contents

[edit] Original formula

Published competitors say it contains sugar, caramel color, caffeine, phosphoric acid, coca leaf and kola nut extract, lime extract, flavoring mixture, vanilla and glycerin. Alleged syrup recipes vary greatly, and Coca-Cola reluctantly admits the formula has changed over the decades.[citation needed] The basic “cola” taste from Coca-Cola and competing cola drinks comes mainly from vanilla and cinnamon; distinctive tastes among various brands are the result of trace flavorings such as orange, lime and lemon and spices such as nutmeg. [1]

To this day, Coca-Cola uses a United States license to purify the coca leaf for medicinal use.[2]

Because cocaine is naturally present in coca leaves, today's Coca-Cola uses "spent", or treated, coca leaves, those that have been through a cocaine extraction process, to flavor the beverage. Some contend that this process cannot extract all of the cocaine alkaloids at a molecular level, and so the drink still contains trace amounts of the stimulant.[1][3] The Coca-Cola Company currently refuses to comment on the continued presence of coca leaf in Coca-Cola.[4][5]

[edit] Other formulas

 This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2009)

[edit] Kosher Coca Cola

The closest formula to the original that can be purchased is the 1935 formula which is still produced for Passover. It is sold in 2-Liter bottles with a yellow cap marked with an OU-P, indicating that the Orthodox Jewish Union certifies the soda as Kosher for Passover or with a white cap with a CRC-P indicating that the certification is provided by the Chicago Rabbinical Council. While the current American Coke formula is kosher, during Passover Ashkenazic Jews do not consume Kitniyot, which prevents them from consuming high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Even sugar-based formulas would still require certification of both the formula and the specific bottling plant, as the strictures of Kashrut on Passover are far higher and more complicated than usual kosher observance. This variety is also consumed by some who view sugar-based cola as tasting better and more natural than HFCS based soda.

[edit] Purported secret recipes

[edit] Pemberton Recipe

This recipe is attributed to a sheet of paper found in an old formulary book owned by Coca-Cola inventor, John S. Pemberton, just before his death (U.S. measures).[6]

This recipe does not specify when or how the ingredients are mixed, or the flavoring oil quantity units of measure.

[edit] Reed Recipe

This recipe is attributed to pharmacist John Reed[7]

[edit] Merory Recipe

Recipe is from Food Flavorings: Composition, Manufacture and Use. Makes one 1 US gallon (3.8 l; 0.83 imp gal) of syrup. Yield (used to flavor carbonated water at 1 US fl oz (30 ml; 1.0 imp fl oz) per bottle): 128 bottles, 6.5 US fl oz (190 ml; 6.8 imp fl oz).[8][6]

  • Mix 5 lb (2.3 kg) of sugar with just enough water to dissolve the sugar fully. (High-fructose corn syrup may be substituted for half the sugar.)
  • Add 1+1⁄4 oz (35 g) of caramel, 1⁄10 oz (3 g) caffine, and 2⁄5 oz (11 g) phosphoric acid.
  • Extract the cocaine from 5⁄8 drachms (1.1 g) of coca leaf (Truxillo growth of coca preferred) with toluol; dry the cocaine extract.
  • Soak the coca leaves and kola nuts (both finely powdered; 1⁄5 drachms (0.35 g) in 3⁄4 oz (21 g) of 20% alcohol.
  • California white wine fortified to 20% strength was used as the soaking solution circa 1909, but Coca-Cola may have switched to a simple water/alcohol mixture.
  • After soaking, discard the coca and kola and add the liquid to the syrup.
  • Add 1 oz (28 g) lime juice (a former ingredient, evidently, that Coca-Cola now denies) or a substitute such as a water solution of citric acid and sodium citrate at lime-juice strength.
  • Mix together
    • 1⁄2 drachms (0.89 g) lemon oil,
    • 1⁄4 drachms (0.44 g) orange oil,
    • 1⁄10 drachms (0.18 g) cassia (Chinese cinnamon) oil,
    • 2⁄5 drachms (0.71 g) nutmeg oil, and, if desired, traces of
    • coriander,
    • lavender, and
    • neroli oils,
  • Add to 1⁄4 oz (7 g) of 95% alcohol and shake.
  • Add 1⁄10 oz (2.8 g) water to the oil mixture and let stand for twenty-four hours at about 60 °F (16 °C). A cloudy layer will separate.
  • Take off the clear part of the liquid only and add the syrup.
  • Add 7⁄10 oz (20 g) glycerine (from vegetable source, not hog fat, so the drink can be sold to Jews but not for Muslims who observe their respective religion's dietary restrictions) and 3⁄10 drachms (0.53 g) of vanilla extract.
  • Add water (treated with chlorine) to make a gallon of syrup.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Poundstone, William (1983), Big Secrets, William Morrow, ISBN 0-688-04830-7 
  2. ^ Benson, Drew (19 April 2004), "Coca kick in drinks spurs export fears", The Washington Times  "Coke dropped cocaine from its recipe around 1900, but the secret formula still calls for a cocaine-free coca extract produced at a Stepan Co. factory in Maywood, New Jersey. Stepan buys about 100 metric tons of dried Peruvian coca leaves each year, said Marco Castillo, spokesman for Peru's state-owned National Coca Co."
  3. ^ Rielly, Edward J. (7 August 2003), Baseball and American Culture: Across the Diamond, Haworth Press, ISBN 0-7890-1485-8 
  4. ^ Langman, Jimmy (October 30, 2006), "Just Say Coca", Newsweek on MSNBC.com, http://www.newsweek.com/id/45077, retrieved on 2007-05-05 
  5. ^ Ceaser, Mike (1 February 2006), Colombian farmers launch Coke rivals, Nasa Indian territory, Colombia: BBC News, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4623350.stm, retrieved on 2009-04-27 
  6. ^ a b Pendergrast, Mark (2000), For God, Country and Coca-Cola (2nd ed.), Basic Books, ISBN 9780465054688 
  7. ^ Terry, Sue (August 1, 2005), A Rich Deliciously Satisfying Collection of Breakfast Recipes, My Best Book Publishing Company, ISBN 978-1932586435 
  8. ^ Merory, Joseph (1968). Food Flavorings: Composition, Manufacture and Use (2nd ed.). Westport, CT: AVI Publishing. 

[edit] External links

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