Nagardo

[jeff.k...@gmail.com]

Hi everyone.  I thought I would alert this group to Nagardo - a new additive that sounds almost sounds too good to be true.  It is only available business-to-business from Lanxess (SBI in the Netherlands is the distributor) and it is a bit of a challenge to source.    

Lanxess discusses it on their website, so I won't go into too much detail - but it is as close to chemical pasteurization as I have seen, in a non-hazardous, non-toxic product that is easy to use (none of the dosing or safety challenges one has with Velcorin).  It is some kind of mushroom extract, so it is natural (?).

It is currently only licensed for use in non-alcoholic beverages in the EU and US but it is apparently being commonly used off-label for beer by microbreweries in Australia.  Mexico has licensed its use in alcoholic beverages.  The regulatory issues in the EU and the States are institutional - not a question of the science or safety.  Those permits will come but Lanxess expects it will take a few more years.  

I have exchanged correspondence with the head scientist at Lanxess and Nagardo is particularly effective for yeasts.  In clear, sparkling products dosage is around 3 ppm.  In cloudy products the dosage may go up to 30 ppm.  

This could be a game changer for sweet and semi-sweet ciders.