Coca leaves, "cola nuts" and a big secret: what Coca-Cola is made of
The history of the most popular carbonated water on the planet is more than 130 years old. Coca-Cola was initially sold in drugstores as a remedy and was composed of fresh coca leaves, a plant high in the cocaine alkaloid. Much has been said and written about how Coca-Cola, the name of which is made up of the names of its constituent plants, is an unhealthy drink. Nevertheless, it remains the most famous soda in the world, and the company that produces it keeps the composition of the profitable drink a secret. So what is so unique about this soda?
The birth date of Coca-Cola is considered to be 1886, when John Stitt Pemberton, a former military man and pharmacist from Atlanta, invented a caramel-colored tonic. It consisted of extracts from the leaves of the coca bush and the fruit of the cola plant, the nuts of which contain caffeine. Coca-Cola was originally patented as a cure for depression and as a substitute for morphine and opium, the use of which had been quite widespread among retired military after the end of the American Civil War. In addition, John Stitt Pemberton himself suffered from this addiction, so Coca-Cola was a gentle counterpart to bad habits.
But after a wave of propaganda against the use of cocaine as a substance that negatively affects health took place among scientists and in the press in the late 1890s, changes were made in the recipe for the drink, which had by then become popular. Coca-Cola was no longer made from fresh coca leaves but from coca leaves that had been processed to remove traces of cocaine. On the whole the recipe of this carbonated drink has undergone considerable changes and is not only the product of the American pharmacist but of the modern food chemists as well.
What is used to make the modern Coca-Cola, although indicated on the label, but still contains a number of secret points, which are not subject to disclosure. And it is quite understandable, because in the beginning of the XX century the soda having got the popularity of caramel color had a lot of doubles, which manufacturers tried to earn on another's popularity.
According to published reports, classic Coca-Cola contains a significant amount of sugar and sugar glaze, which led nutritionists to classify it as a product which when drunk regularly can lead to obesity. It also contains caffeine, cola nut extract, lemon and coca bush leaves, vanilla, glycerin, orthophosphoric acid, sodium benzoate (E221) and flavorings. This is the basic composition of the drink, which can be modified, depending on the variety. After the Turkish authorities gave an ultimatum and forced to disclose the exact composition of the drink, it turned out that it also contained the food coloring carmine (E120), which comes from an insect called the wheat worm.
Despite the fact that new information about the secret ingredients periodically appears in the press, the exact composition of the popular drink produced by The Coca-Cola Company is known only to a narrow circle of the company's management.
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