水、糖和焦糖色素是大多数软饮料的主要成分，然而一些“天然”饮料制造商却会在配方中加入可乐果提取物，并提升价格。
如今，意大利的研究人员开发出了一种方法，旨在测试这些高价的可乐是否对得起它们的账单。
研究小组取了1升特定自然风味苏打品牌的饮料，并向其中倒入了上百万个小珠子——每个小珠子上都涂有不同序列的氨基酸。其中一些小珠子会与软饮料中的可乐果蛋白紧密地结合在一起。
研究人员随后分离出了被捕获的蛋白质并对它们进行了鉴定。当研究小组用相同方法处理1升可口可乐后——这种饮料并未在配方中宣传加入了可乐果——并没有发现蛋白质信号。
研究人员在5月6日出版的《蛋白质组学研究期刊》上报告了这一发现。他们写道，这项技术将帮助消费者团体确定自然风味苏打或其他饮料的真实性。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原文出处：
J. Proteome Res., 2011, 10 (5), pp 2684–2686 DOI: 10.1021/pr2001447
Going Nuts for Nuts? The Trace Proteome of a Cola Drink, as Detected via Combinatorial Peptide Ligand Libraries
Alfonsina D’Amato, Elisa Fasoli, Alexander V. Kravchuk, and Pier Giorgio Righetti*
The “invisible” proteome of a Cola drink, stated to be produced with a kola nut extract, has been investigated via capture with combinatorial peptide ligand libraries (CPLL). Indeed, a few proteins in the Mr 15?20 kDa range could be identified by treating large beverage volumes (1 L) and performing the capture with CPLLs at very acidic pH values (pH 2.2) under conditions mimicking reverse-phase adsorption. Ascertaining the presence of proteins deriving from plant extracts has confirmed the genuineness of such beverage and suggests the possibility of certifying whether soft drinks present on the market are indeed made with vegetable extracts or only with artificial chemical flavoring.
