NEW YORK — Coca-Cola Co said on Tuesday that its flagship(旗帜) cola recipe is still secret after nearly 125 years, denying a story by a public radio show that it has uncovered the formula(配方).
"This American Life," a weekly radio program, said it found the closely guarded(受保卫的) formula in an article in Coke's hometown newspaper, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, from February 1979.
A photo that appeared with the article shows pages from a notebook with a handwritten list of ingredients(配料) such as sugar, lime juice(酸橙汁), vanilla(香草) and caramel(焦糖). It also lists oils of cinnamon(肉桂), neroli(橙花油), coriander(香菜), nutmeg(肉豆蔻), lemon and orange.
The show, produced by WBEZ Chicago and distributed(放送) by Public Radio International, claims the notebook originally belonged to a friend of John Pemberton, the pharmacist(药剂师) who created Coca-Cola in 1886.
The book passed through various hands and eventually landed with Georgia pharmacist Everett Beal, who was an acquaintance(熟人) of the newspaper writer, according to Beal's widow, who was interviewed by "This American Life" host Ira Glass.
Coke, the world's largest soft drink maker, denied that the formula is the same as the one for its cola, which is kept in an Atlanta bank vault(银行金库).
"Many third parties, including 'This American Life,' have tried to crack(砸开) our secret formula. Try as they might, they've been unsuccessful because there is only one 'Real Thing,'" said Coca-Cola spokeswoman Kerry Tressler.