2019-01-18

LANXESS revolutionizing the world of soft drinks with “Nagardo™” natural beverage protection

• New natural preservative for non-alcoholic drinks
• Market launch of the “natural guardian” to start in the U.S.
• Registrations in other countries in the pipeline

USA, US -

Pittsburgh, Pa. –  January 18, 2019 – The specialty chemicals company LANXESS, whose Velcorin® cold sterilization agent is among the leading technologies in beverage stabilization, is expanding its portfolio to include an innovative natural preservative. This meets the high demand for natural products from drink manufacturers, and from consumers in particular. The product has launched in January 2019 under the new brand name Nagardo™ – derived from “natural guardian”. The initial launch is taking place in the U.S., where the product has already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in beverages.

 

“With our attractive portfolio, we want to become an even stronger player in the global growth of the beverage market in the future,” emphasizes Monika Ebener, Global Marketing Director Natural Antimicrobials in the Beverage Technology business line of the Material Protection Products (MPP) business unit at LANXESS. “We have laid solid foundations for this with our high-performance products and our global range of services,” explains Ebener.

 

The analysts of the British market research institute Technavio predict a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 5.6 percent for the global soft drinks market for the period from 2017 to 2021. The change in consumer awareness towards “better for you” products with natural or health claims is a primary driver of this growth. Such products constitute an ever-increasing share of new developments in the beverage industry. Alongside natural alternatives to artificial sweeteners and colorants, natural preservation is an important milestone for the beverage industry.

 

Natural beverage stabilization from the fermentation process

 

Nagardo beverage protection consists of naturally occurring glycolipids produced by a fermentation process using a fungus that is native to the tropical rain forest of French Guiana. This means the manufacturing process and the end product are entirely natural. “In the past, we have often been asked whether we can offer a natural and sustainable alternative to conventional preservatives,” explains Ebener. “Nagardo is the answer,” she continues.

 

Nagardo beverage protection is the first ready-for-market product from Dortmund, Germany-based biotech start-up IMD Natural Solutions (INS), which LANXESS acquired in December 2017 in order to widen its expertise in the field of biotechnology. INS develops natural ingredients for the beverage, food, and consumer goods industry.

 

Well equipped for the future

 

“Well-known soft drinks manufacturers have shown considerable interest in Nagardo beverage protection and are currently testing new recipes based on product samples,” Ebener reveals. And the market potential looks promising as no competitors have a similar product in their portfolio.

 

The first batches are already available in the U.S. “The Nagardo product is available as a powder, which is up to 50 times more efficient against typical beverage spoiling organisms than chemical preservatives,” says Paul Marquardt, Director of the Beverage Technology business line at LANXESS Corporation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Special dosing technology is not required: Nagardo natural beverage protection is added to the tank in a powder form or as a pre-dissolved aqueous solution analogue to other solid ingredients used in the beverage industry.

 

LANXESS already provides an effective stabilizer for the beverage industry with its tried-and-tested Velcorin cold sterilization agent. According to Marquardt, this product is not in competition with the new addition to the range: “Nagardo natural beverage protection is aimed at other beverage categories. So each of the two products have their own specialist area.”

 

Carbonated beverages in particular are expected to benefit from Nagardo natural beverage protection and constitute a highly attractive market for the natural preservative, which could be used in many regions as a substitute to sodium benzoate (E211), which finds itself under increasing scrutiny by governmental bodies and consumer watch groups.

 

You can find more detailed information at http://www.nagardo.com. Here you can also download the new “Nagardo” product brochure.

 

The Material Protection Products business unit is part of the LANXESS Performance Chemicals segment, which generated sales of EUR 1.44 billion in fiscal year 2017.

LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 9.7 billion in 2017. The company currently has about 15,500 employees in 33 countries and is represented at 59 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of chemical intermediates, additives, specialty chemicals and plastics. LANXESS is listed in the leading sustainability indices Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI World and Europe) and FTSE4Good.

 

Forward-Looking Statements
This company release contains certain forward-looking statements, including assumptions, opinions, expectations and views of the company or cited from third party sources. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause the actual results, financial position, development or performance of LANXESS AG to differ materially from the estimations expressed or implied herein. LANXESS AG does not guarantee that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors nor does it accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the opinions expressed in this presentation or the actual occurrence of the forecast developments. No representation or warranty (expressed or implied) is made as to, and no reliance should be placed on, any information, estimates, targets and opinions, contained herein, and no liability whatsoever is accepted as to any errors, omissions or misstatements contained herein, and accordingly, no representative of LANXESS AG or any of its affiliated companies or any of such person's officers, directors or employees accept any liability whatsoever arising directly or indirectly from the use of this document.

 

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