Coca Cola and Pepsi contain alcohol, a shock study revealed yesterday. But don’t fret about going over the drink-drive limit — you would have to down about 13,000 cans to break the law. Scientists who tested 19 colas for alcohol found ten, including the top brands, contain it. Traces were tiny — as low as 10mg in every litre, or 0.001 per cent. But the finding will still alarm millions who drink cola for health or safety reasons or because their religion bans alcohol, like Islam. The only alcohol-free colas found in the research conducted in France by the Paris-based National Institute of Consumption were cheap foreign supermarket versions not widely available in Britain. Coca-Cola France’s scientific director Michel Pepin said: “It is possible alcohol traces come from the process of making our drink according to its secret recipe.” But he insisted Coke is “soft”, adding: “The Paris mosque gave us a certificate stating it can be consumed by the Muslim community.” PepsiCo acknowledged “some soft drinks can contain minute traces of alcohol because of the ingredients used” — but added: “The Pepsi Cola recipe does not contain alcohol.” 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.