LANXESS’ Velcorin® microbial control agent has been approved for use in water based non-alcoholic beverages and wine in Canada as of May 23, 2013. The Velcorin product is registered for use as a microbial control agent to control spoilage organisms in beverages in all major markets of the world including the United States, European Union, as well as China, and just recently in India. Velcorin microbial control agent offers unique benefits over alternatives such as hot filling, as it can significantly reduce PET consumption through cold filling, and is widely used to replace persistent preservatives such as benzoate and is beneficial in extending shelf life of chilled chain beverages.
"With the addition of Canada to our regulatory portfolio, LANXESS is able to offer uninterrupted service to North American customers throughout the entire market and thereby closes an important registration gap for Canadian as well as U.S. based beverage corporations," said Matthias Arnold, Head of Business Line Beverage Technology North America. "We already have successfully run trials at Canadian customers and can now move towards commercialization of the first beverages with our advanced microbial control technology."
"International key customers are depending on globally registered substances to effectively market beverage concepts throughout the world," adds Ingo Broda, Vice President and Global Head of Business Line Beverage Technology for parent company LANXESS AG in Germany. "LANXESS Corporation has been able to significantly grow its market presence in the United States and more than double its business base in non-alcoholic beverages within the last two years. Adding Canada to the plate will allow for further growth in North America, the largest beverage market of the world."
The LANXESS Material Protection Products (MPP) business unit produces Velcorin (dimethyl dicarbonate) at its German sites in Dormagen and Uerdingen. Velcorin microbial control agent provides effective protection against harmful microorganisms in non-alcoholic beverages and wine without affecting the taste, odor or color of the drink. Velcorin microbial control agent is added to the beverage during production. It performs its antimicrobial function immediately, and then degrades completely into tiny amounts of an alcohol and carbon dioxide, which are natural components of fruit juices and fruit juice-based beverages. When it reaches the consumer, the stabilizer is no longer present in the drink. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Health Organization's Joint Expert Committee for Food Additives (JECFA) have both documented the positive effect of dimethyl dicarbonate in the stabilization of beverages.
