US soft drinks giant of a company Coca-Cola is for the first time placing the clandestine formula for its major beverage on exhibit.

But visitors to the new exhibit at the World of Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta, Georgia shouldn't be expecting to learn too much- the museum will only be viewing the metal box that houses the recipe.

On Thursday of this week, the company made public photos of the formula's recent home as part of a marketing campaign for its shrine-like World of Coca-Cola museum where the recipe is now kept safe in a immense steel vault.

Since its formation 125 years ago, Coca-Cola has held in reserve its novel formula. The jealously guarded trade secret has been so hush-hush that the corporation has taken to spinning intricate and detailed marketing mythologies about the ingredients and the people who know them.

For instance, until this week, the only authorized written copy was allegedly held under lock and key in a bank vault. Only 2 people at any prearranged time are believed to know the top secret formula. And these same 2 people are forbidden from taking the same plane in the freak occurrence that the plane gets into an accident and the trade secrets are taken to their crypt.

According to Beverage Digest, the secret formula was transferred from a SunTrust bank vault in Atlanta. Earlier this year, weekly radio show "This American Life" which operates out of Chicago, alleged it had made sense of the much sought after recipe after discovering the genuine article buried quietly in the back pages of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution circa 1979.

This was said to have been a publication committed to the birthplace of this caramel-coloured soda pop. Among the alleged secret ingredients are coriander, nutmeg, orange and lemon oils.