It has been one of the most closely guarded commercial secrets for more than a century, but now an American radio station reckons it might have uncovered the secret ingredients that make Coca-Cola the real thing.
And one of those ingredients, according to the Chicago-based public radio programme This American Life, is alcohol.
Khalid Mohammed Shareef, the director of the food control department at Dubai Municipality, dismissed the possibility of alcohol in Coke as a longtime rumour they have disproved with extensive laboratory tests.
"We have good connections with all the labs all over the world, and we couldn't find any single thing to show us there is alcohol," he said. "I am 100 per cent sure because we did all the tests."
"This story has been around for a long time," he said.
It was also unlikely from an ethical or commercial standpoint, he said. "All people drink Coke, from small to big. It's not right that they would put alcohol inside."
The crucial - and very secret - ingredient of Coke has been a mixture known only as "7X".
John Pemberton, a medicinal chemist who devised the formula for the soft drink in 1886, refused to divulge the make-up of 7X until his death and the recipe is now locked away in a bank vault in Atlanta with only two senior Coca-Cola employees knowing the ingredients at any one time.
But according to the radio programme, a colleague of Mr Pemberton's did write down the formula at the time and that a photograph of his notes was published, without fanfare, on page 28 of the Atlanta Constitution-Journal 32 years ago.
According to this recipe, the constituents of 7X, described on a can of Coke simply as "natural flavourings including caffeine", consist of alcohol and the oils of orange, lemon, nutmeg, coriander and neroli.
Mark Pendergrast, who has written a history of the drink, told the radio show: "I think that it certainly is a version of the formula.
"The company has always said, and as far as I know it's true, that at any given time only two people know how to mix the 7X flavouring ingredient.
"Those two people never travel on the same plane in case it crashes; it's this carefully passed-on secret ritual and the formula is kept in a bank vault."
Coca-Cola has fought a string of legal challenges to force it to reveal its formula and, in 1977, the company pulled out of India rather than divulge it to the government.
The only comments the company has made in recent years on the secret ingredients have been to confirm that the drink originally included cocaine but that the narcotic was removed from the recipe in the early 1900s.
Coca-Cola's public relations manager in Australia, Susie Crumpton, would neither confirm nor deny that This American Life's recipe was genuine.
"The ingredients used in our beverages are listed on the product labels and many people have tried over time to crack the secret formula of Coca-Cola," she said in a statement.
"That secret combination of ingredients holds a special place in the history and mythology of Coca-Cola - something we continue to celebrate as we mark our 125th anniversary this year."
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
SPECS
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
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Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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'Nope'
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In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
RoboCop%3A%20Rogue%20City
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETeyon%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENacon%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlayStation%205%2C%20Xbox%20Series%20X%2FS%20and%20PC%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5