Specialty chemicals: intermediates, additives and preservatives such as Nagardo® for beverage and food applications
LANXESS AG
Cologne (Group headquarters) · Elmira, Ontario (production) · West Hill, Ontario (production) · Pittsburgh, PA (LANXESS Corporation) · Shanghai (LANXESS Chemical (China))New on Amplifa
LANXESS – Specialty chemicals for a sustainable future
LANXESS is a specialty chemicals company headquartered in Cologne that develops, manufactures and markets chemical intermediates, additives and preservation products. Its core business comprises high-performance products, materials and services for customers worldwide; artificial intelligence is increasingly used in the development of new materials to shorten development cycles. A highlighted product is the nature-based preservative Nagardo®, a purified mixture of naturally occurring glycolipids from the fungus Dacryopinax spathularia, obtained in a food-grade, solvent-free process based on filtration and precipitation without chemical modification; the fungus is cultivated on renewable raw materials. Nagardo® protects non-alcoholic beverages such as soft drinks, teas, juices, beer-mixed drinks and kombucha against yeasts, molds and bacteria and is complemented by the Velcorin® cold fill technology as well as application support. The Group operates its business through three segments with nine business units, has around 11,500 employees in 32 countries and generated revenue of 5.7 billion EUR in 2025.
- Site
- Köln
- Processes
- Production of Nagardo® (nature-based preservative) by means of food-grade,, Application support (e.g. dosage optimization for Nagardo®), Velcorin® cold fill technology, Technical customer documentation (SDS/TDS), Global logistics and delivery
- Materials
- Nagardo® (purified mixture of naturally occurring glycolipids), Nagardo® (glycolipids from Dacryopinax spathularia), Velcorin® cold fill technology
- Certificates
- ISO 9001, ISO 14001
- Employees
- 11,500
- Industries
- Specialty chemicals, Beverage industry (non-alcoholic beverages, beer-mixed drinks, kombucha), Food industry
- 01
Research & development (among others with AI support)
- 02
Cultivation of the fungus on renewable raw materials
- 03
Extraction of Nagardo® by filtration and precipitation (food-grade,
- 04
Quality assurance and technical documentation (SDS/TDS)
- 05
Global logistics and delivery
- 06
Application support (dosage optimization,
Products and processes
Nagardo® (glycolipids from Dacryopinax spathularia)
Nature-based preservative for non-alcoholic beverages and food applications, effective against yeasts, molds and bacteria in the pH range 2.5 to 7.
Velcorin® cold fill technology
Process for beverage-friendly preservation, backed by 40 years of LANXESS experience.
Locations
Cologne
DEGroup headquarters (LANXESS Tower, Kennedyplatz 1) and sales/administration of LANXESS Deutschland GmbH
Elmira (Ontario)
CAProduction site
West Hill (Ontario)
CAProduction site
Pittsburgh, PA
DELANXESS Corporation (sales, USA)
Shanghai
DELANXESS Chemical (China) (subsidiary)
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production of Nagardo® (nature-based preservative) by means of food-grade,Other | – | – | – | – | Glycolipids (from fungus Dacryopinax spathularia, on |
Additional services
Quality and reliability
Process management is certified according to international standards such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. Quality is a priority at LANXESS in development, production and all related processes.
| Evidence | Cologne |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | |
| ISO 14001 |
Our history
- 2004
Baseline of the emissions balance; since then CO2 emissions halved from 6.5 to 3.2 million tonnes
- 2013-08-01
Relocation of the group headquarters to the LANXESS Tower in Cologne (Deutzer Brücke)
- 2025
Revenue 5.7 billion EUR, approx. 11,500 employees in 32 countries
Goal: climate neutrality by 2040
40 years of experience with Velcorin® cold fill technology