Add Press Release

LANXESS 02/05/2007

LANXESS presents Velcorin to winemaking and wine storage professionals

Leverkusen - The LANXESS chemicals group successfully presented its Velcorin technology for at Intervitis 2007, from April 22 to 26. Numerous visitors to the winemaking and wine storage trade fair inquired about the company’s products and services for their industry.

Velcorin technology was approved by the European Union in 2006 (under EC Regulation 643/2006) for use as a new enological method for stabilizing wine during the bottling process. As a result, users in the EU can finally take advantage of a proven method for stabilizing wine that has been widespread in parts of the New World for many years. Velcorin technology, managed by the Material Protection Products business unit, has been an established enological method for partly more than 15 years in the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, South Africa and other countries.

The stabilizer makes it possible to reduce sulfur content, save on filtration steps, inhibit spoilage organisms such as Brettanomyces yeasts, and prevent secondary fermentation. The use of Velcorin helps to keep wine stable from bottling all the way to consumption. Furthermore, the LANXESS product offers advantages for a wine's sensory qualities: because of its unique mechanism of action, Velcorin is no longer contained in the end product.

To meet growing international demand and the specific needs of the wine market, LANXESS additionally has entered into partnerships with industry specialists to market Velcorin in the wine sector.

The International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) has listed Velcorin as an approved enological method in its reference directory, the "International Code of Oenological Practices." High-ranking governing bodies, such as the EU Scientific Committee, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Health Organization's (WHO) Joint Expert Committee for Food Additives (JECFA), have evaluated and documented the use of Velcorin (dimethyldicarbonate) for beverage stabilization as positive.

The Material Protection Products business unit, one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of biocidal active ingredients and formulations for use in wood preservatives, disinfectants and industrial preservation, belongs to the Performance Chemicals segment, which achieved total sales in 2006 of EUR 1,812 million.

Add Press Release