French magazine 60 Million Consumers published results of tests on 19 kinds of colas. Only cheap supermarket versions of the drink are alcohol-free. Only nine that did not contain alcohol were made by brands including Auchan, Cora, Casino, Leader Price and Man U-Cola. The ten which had traces of alcohol included Coca-Cola, Pepsi Cola, Coca-Cola Classic Light and Coke Zero.
Coca-Cola France acknowledged that "it is possible that traces of alcohol come from the process" of making Coca Cola according to its secret recipe. Pepsi, meanwhile, said "some soft drinks can contain minute traces of alcohol because of the ingredients used", but denied that its recipe contains alcohol.
The results suggest that the alcohol levels are as low as 10mg/liter or a negligent 0.001 per cent alcohol. But the figures will still be enough to upset the thousands of Muslims who regularly drink Cola because their religion forbids them from drinking alcohol, the Daily Mail said. Several Hindu religious sects like Radhasoamis also boycott alcohol and would have something to think of when they have the next sip.
Michel Pepin, the scientific director at French Coca Cola has however said that the Paris Mosque has declared that Muslims may drink Coca Cola.
Both companies suggested tiny traces of alcohol can be produced by natural fruit fermenting.
Coke was invented in the US in 1886 and patented as a medicine that could cure everything from headaches to impotence. Its main stimulus is regarded as caffeine.
Swami Ramdev, a self propelled yogi and anti-cola crusader, has been discouraging his millions of TV viewers to refrain from drinking colas because of the harmful acidity and suggests that they should be used to clean toilets but now the anti-alcohol yogi and soon-to-turn-politician may find a new weapon and a slogan to start a tirade against the Cola drinks.
Although the traces are negligible, the findings of the Paris-based National Institute of Consumption which conducted the research are bound to catch the attention of the media in India for a few days. |