Nagardo^® natural glycolipids from LANXESS win Just Drinks Excellence Awards 2023 

Pittsburgh, Pa. – August 22, 2023– Specialty chemicals company LANXESS has won two Just Drinks Excellence Awards for its innovative natural beverage preservative, Nagardo^®, in the categories of “Innovation” and “Product Launches”. 

The Just Drinks Excellence Awards program is an independent recognition platform to recognize the greatest achievements and innovations in the beverage industry. Based on GlobalData’s business intelligence, a team of researchers and journalists uses artificial intelligence to analyze more than one billion data records over the course of the year to identify, support and evaluate top companies and their performance in more than 200 countries. 

Last year, LANXESS’ Nagardo received the 2022 World Beverage Innovation Award in the “Best Beverage Ingredient” category. 

“The fact that Nagardo has again received an award serves as recognition of the innovative strength of our technology and confirmation of the many years of work by all colleagues involved,” says Monika Ebener, director of market segment natural antimicrobials in the Material Protection Products (MPP) business unit at LANXESS.

Natural glycolipids offer the highest antimicrobial performance

Nagardo natural beverage preservative is made up of natural glycolipids derived from the edible mushroom Dacryopinax spathularia discovered in French Guiana. In a years-long process of screening more than 100,000 natural substances, these natural glycolipids were found to be the most effective in providing the antimicrobial properties needed to protect beverages. In addition to performance, Nagardo also meets stringent industry requirements for safety and does not affect odor or taste of the beverages when it is used in typical dosages. 

“Beverage manufacturers who want to join the trend toward ‘better-for-you’ products without synthetic preservatives invest a lot of energy in hot-fill processes, tunnel pasteurizers or other thermal processes, as well as cold chain logistics,” says Ebener. “Our Nagardo natural beverage preservative provides the missing element to make natural beverages with the required shelf life and sensory profile possible, without those energy-intensive processes.”

Nagardo has demonstrated high efficacy against a wide range of beverage-spoiling yeasts, molds and bacteria. It can also eliminate organisms that have adapted to commonly used preservatives or are heat resistant, and can be used in a wide range of beverage types – including carbonated and still soft drinks, ready-to-drink teas and kombucha. The ingredient can be integrated into the existing production process and allows manufacturers to use marketing-friendly claims such as “free from artificial preservatives”.

Available in many major markets worldwide; global approval planned

LANXESS is committed to offering its natural preservative to beverage manufacturers worldwide in the future. Following the market launch in the U.S. in 2019, LANXESS also obtained approval for Nagardo in Australia and New Zealand two years later. Further global expansion saw approvals in the European Union and Canada. Recent clearances in Ecuador, Colombia and Peru now increase the opportunities for beverage innovation in South America.