Beverage Technology

Natural Protection Against Spoilage

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Trends reflect the expectations placed on beverages. Lanxess, the ingredients specialist, knows how producers can combine naturalness and shelf life, offering a new type of preservative in the form of Negardo.

The protection offered by Nagardo is based on the fungus Dacryopinax spathularia, which was discovered in French Guiana. © LANXESS AG

Health is a trend that runs through all segments in the beverage sector. The demand for natural ingredients has been increasing for many years. Another aspect that concerns producers in this context is the topic of shelf life. There are now various ways to avoid using preservatives. However, this often requires changes to the production and filling processes in order to obtain a safe, storable beverage. Ingredients specialist Lanxess has therefore developed Nagardo, an alternative based on natural glycolipids. It is highly effective against a wide range of microorganisms that cause spoilage of beverages, such as yeasts, moulds and bacteria. In addition, Nagardo can eliminate organisms that are adapted to the commonly used preservatives or are even heat-resistant. "Manufacturers of non-alcoholic beverages who want to join the trend towards better-for-you products without synthetic preservatives invest a lot of energy in hot-fill processes, tunnel pasteurisers or other thermal processes and cold chain logistics," says Monika Ebener, Director Market Segment Natural Antimicrobials in the Material Protection Products (MPP) business unit at Lanxess. "Nagardo's natural beverage protection provides the missing element to enable natural beverages with the required shelf life and sensory profile," says Ebener.

Nagardo: Discovered through new screening

The protection offered by Nagardo is based on the fungus Dacryopinax spathularia. It is edible, native to tropical and subtropical regions, bright orange in colour and grows in the form of small, ear-shaped spathes, similar to the osmanthus flower. To find the fungus, the Dortmund team from IMD Natural Solutions, which has been part of Lanxess' Material Protection Products (MPP) business unit since 2017, developed a screening process that searched a library of more than 100,000 natural molecules from plants, bacteria, algae and fungi for suitable active ingredients. In the screening, the glycolipids that make up Nagardo were found to be the most effective in terms of the antimicrobial performance required to protect beverages.

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Effectiveness and safety

Nagardo shows superior efficiency against typical beverage spoiling organisms compared to classic preservatives. A dosage that is many times lower than that of conventional additives is usually sufficient. The broad spectrum of activity, even at low application concentrations, is also highly effective against heat-resistant pathogens such as Alicyclobacillus species or representatives of the species Byssochlamys, Neosartorya and Talaromyces. It is also effective against organisms that have adapted to conventional preservatives, such as Zygosaccharomyces bailii.

In addition to performance, Nagardo also fulfils the industry's strict safety requirements. The colour, smell and, above all, taste are also retained as intended by the producer. The natural glycolipids can therefore be used in a wide range of beverages, including soft drinks, ready-to-drink teas, kombuchas and alcohol-free beer. Carbonated products in particular should benefit from Nagardo as, according to the manufacturer, a second preservative is generally not required. The principle: The powder is pre-dissolved in water and added to the beverage recipe when mixing the product. It remains in the beverage and continues to protect it naturally even after opening. The ingredient can be integrated into the existing production process and enables marketing-friendly claims such as "free from artificial preservatives".

Global approval sought for Nagardo

Following the market launch in the USA in 2019, Lanxess also received approval for Nagardo in Australia and New Zealand two years later. Authorisations were subsequently granted in the European Union and Canada. The latest approvals in Ecuador, Colombia and Peru now expand the opportunities for beverage innovations in South America.