The team at Victus explain how a breakthrough ingredient, derived from an edible mushroom, is solving one of the food and beverage industry’s biggest shelf-stability challenges.
The no- and low-alcohol (NOLO) beverage category is no longer a niche. What began as a health-conscious trend has become one of the fastest-growing segments in the global drinks market and food and beverage manufacturers are racing to keep up. Non-alcoholic beer has emerged as the hero of this movement, accounting for the largest share of NOLO launches and seeing consistent year-on-year growth across key markets including Australia and New Zealand.
But with that growth comes a challenge that has long frustrated producers: how do you keep a non-alcoholic drink shelf-stable when you’ve removed the very ingredient alcohol that traditionally did the preserving? Strip it out, and you’re left with a complex, nutrient-rich liquid that’s highly susceptible to spoilage from yeasts and bacteria. Traditional solutions sulphites, artificial preservatives or intense heat pasteurisation often compromise flavour, texture or clean-label appeal.
For a category built on the promise of a better-for-you product, that’s a significant problem.
The answer was growing in the forest
Enter Nagardo, a new-generation antimicrobial agent that offers broad-spectrum microbial control through entirely natural means. Developed by LANXESS, the company behind the widely trusted beverage preservative Velcorin, Nagardo is a purified mixture of glycolipids derived from Dacryopinax spathularia, commonly known as the sweet osmanthus ear mushroom. It is extracted via a solvent-free process and is non-GMO and allergen-free.
Nagardo works by disrupting the cell membrane of spoilage microorganisms, preventing their growth and survival across a wide range of targets all without compromising the flavour or naturalness of the finished product. For beverage producers, it requires no special equipment, no changes to existing processes and is simply added directly to the beverage. It’s also compatible with existing preservation strategies, making it easy to integrate alongside current workflows.
Nagardo is exclusively distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Victus, bringing this globally recognised innovation to local producers for the first time.
Science-backed, proven in the real world
Independent laboratory research conducted by the University of Adelaide confirmed Nagardo’s efficacy against the key spoilage microorganisms relevant to NOLO beverage production including acetic acid bacteria, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Brettanomyces bruxellensis across a range of conditions. Results were consistent across multiple strains per microbial group, supporting its robustness and practical relevance in real production environments.
It’s worth noting that while Nagardo is already approved and in active use across Europe and the US, and is FDA GRAS recognised for non-alcoholic beverages, regulatory approval in Australia and New Zealand is still progressing
Victus and Lanxess are actively working through that process. In the meantime, the global results speak clearly to where this technology is headed.
Bigger than beer: the opportunity ahead
Non-alcoholic beer may be the immediate headline, but the opportunity for Nagardo extends well beyond it. Global product launches already show the ingredient finding its footing in non-alcoholic wine, ready-to-drink cocktails, premium spirits alternatives and an expanding range of functional beverages.
Early research into NOLO wine applications is particularly promising pointing to a real opportunity for Australian winemakers as demand for dealcoholised wine continues to grow.
For food and beverage manufacturers navigating the NOLO opportunity, Nagardo offers something genuinely new: shelf stability that doesn’t compromise on naturalness, clean-label credentials or flavour. In a category defined by what’s been taken out, this is an ingredient story about what’s been put in and why it matters.
Taste it for yourself at foodpro
As the exclusive distributor of Nagardo in Australia and New Zealand, Victus will be showcasing the ingredient live at FoodPro and we’re bringing the proof with us. Visit our stand to sample a non-alcoholic beer on keg preserved with Nagardo, see firsthand what natural shelf stability looks like in a finished product and speak directly with our team about how it could work for your range.
Victus is exhibiting at foodpro 2026. Find us at: C22.
This article first appeared in the Q2 2026 edition of Food & Drink Business magazine.
