To refute this argument, setting aside those devoted fans of cola who have personally conducted numerous experiments, it is sufficient to note that in a short period in the early 1970s, many scientists, with great seriousness, also sought to get to the bottom of this matter. They cut pieces of raw beef and pork, cooked or roasted pork, veal, and eggs into small pieces, and soaked them separately in cola, tartaric acid, acetic acid, hydrochloric acid, and phosphoric acid. Then, they conducted extensive observation and analysis on a massive scale. However, the final conclusion drawn by even professional food chemists from these experiments was no more than this: it did not show any breakthrough beyond that of an ordinary consumer who merely tinkers in their own kitchen out of interest. The meat showed no sign of being dissolved; on the contrary, it even appeared to swell slightly.
"The meat can be dissolved"—this rumor originated in the 1950s from a "joint office," an organization established jointly by beer workers, wine workers, and soda water workers. They intended to use this to stop American competitors from dominating the beverage market with cola. A leaflet was distributed for this purpose. They did so not out of religious instigation, but because Coca-Cola had almost become the "opium of the masses," threatening to drive them to a dead end.