Paris-based National Institute of Consumption (INC) has released a study saying that more than half of leading colas contain the minute traces of alcohol. The study found that even the big brands, like Coke and Pepsi, contain .0001 percent or 10mg in every liter. The amount is minuscule, 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.

Of 19 colas tested, the nine which did not contain alcohol were made by brands including Auchan, Cora, Casino, Leader Price and Man U-Cola. Ten which had traces of alcohol in them included Coca-Cola, Pepsi Cola, Coca-Cola Classic Light and Coke Zero.

Michel Pepin, scientific director for Coca-Cola France, said: ‘It is possible that traces of alcohol come from the process’ of making Coca Cola according to its secret recipe. He insisted, however, that Coca-Cola drinks were provably ‘soft’ and recognized as such ‘by the government authorities in which they are sold’. Mr Peppin went on to add that “the Paris Mosque has provided us with a certificate stating that our products can be consumed by the Muslim community in line with the religious opinions of the Committee of the Mosque of Paris.”

Coca-Cola was invented in 1886 by the American John Pemberton and was originally patented as a medicine which could cure everything from headache to impotence. It has since gone on to dominate the international soft drinks market and is now a US icon sold in more than 200 countries.

Art courtesy of coca-cola-art.com