LANXESS Flavors & Fragrances: Shaping the Future of Taste, Freshness, and Sustainability in Food & Beverages
LANXESS India’s Flavors & Fragrances (F&F) Business Unit is at the forefront of shaping the global food and beverage industry with its unique blend of science, creativity, and sustainability. From flavor and fragrance ingredients to world-class preservatives and clean-label solutions, its products are found in everyday applications ranging from baked goods and beverages to personal care, animal nutrition, and industrial uses. With a strong global footprint and production sites across Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, India, and the USA, the F&F Business Unit has emerged as a trusted partner for enhancing taste, extending shelf life, and ensuring food safety. In this exclusive conversation, Mr. Namitesh Roy Choudhury, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, LANXESS India Private Limited, shares insights on how the business unit is balancing sensory innovation with advanced chemistry, pioneering sustainability through initiatives like Scopeblue, and helping the industry adapt to evolving consumer demands for safe, natural, and climate-friendly solutions.
Can you give us an overview of LANXESS’ Flavors & Fragrances (F&F) Business Unit and its core competencies in the food and beverage industry?
LANXESS’ Flavors & Fragrances (F&F) business unit develops and produces flavor and fragrance ingredients, preservatives, and animal nutrition products. Our F&F products are found in various everyday consumables, such as cosmetics and personal care products, detergents and cleaning agents, beverages, baked goods, candles, oils, and animal feed. They are easy to process and boast excellent odor and flavor profiles.
Our portfolio also includes specialty chemicals for industrial applications. Industries like pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and construction materials require these for their products. With production sites in Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, India, and the USA, F&F offers nature-identical compounds that enhance taste, extend shelf life, and meet strict food safety standards.
How does the F&F Business Unit balance the art of flavor and fragrance development with cutting-edge scientific innovation?
LANXESS’ Flavors & Fragrances (F&F) business unit seamlessly combines sensory creativity with scientific precision. Backed by decades of formulation expertise and a broad portfolio of ultra-pure, nature-identical aroma molecules, the business unit creates tailored flavor and fragrance solutions aligned with consumer trends. Its vertically integrated supply chain, advanced chemical expertise, and certifications like FSSC 22000 and ISCC PLUS ensure consistent quality.
With sustainability-driven innovations like Scopeblue products, F&F delivers clean-label, high-performance ingredients that balance artistic excellence with responsible chemistry.
LANXESS places a strong emphasis on quality and shelf-life extension. Could you elaborate on how your ingredients help improve freshness and prevent microbial growth in food and beverages?
We provide a diverse array of highly effective preservatives designed to safeguard food and beverages against yeasts, bacteria, and molds – ensuring product freshness and safety. Our key products include Purox® B (benzoic acid), Purox® S (sodium benzoate), and Kalama® (potassium benzoate FCC), compliant with stringent food-grade standards and aligned with clean-label requirements.
We supply benzoic acid at various degrees of purity under the trade name Purox® B, including the purest benzoic acid available on the market. This also occurs naturally in numerous fruits, as well as in cinnamon and cloves.
- Purox® B is used as a safe and effective preservative in a range of food stuff like pizzas, tortillas, and fish products. It is easy to handle in all its forms and is virtually odorless and also has a low agglomeration tendency. LANXESS is the world’s largest manufacturer of this product. We offer a track record in reliable delivery, know-how, and excellent product quality
- Purox® S (sodium benzoate) is a preservative identical to those found in nature, that safely and effectively inhibits microbial growth in foods, beverages up to a pH of 6.5. It is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as a food additive and is also known as E211. Common applications include soft drinks, jellies, dressings and sauces. It protects food from premature spoilage due to bacteria and molds, without compromising good taste
- Kalama® (potassium Benzoate FCC) is a high-quality, high-purity preservative designed for use in food and beverage applications. It is recognized for its effective combination of antimicrobial properties, safety, and superior odor/taste profile. It is also certified Kosher and Halal, making it suitable for a wide range of dietary needs
In addition to this, an important contribution is made by products from our business unit Material Protection Products (MPP) like Velcorin®, our cold-fill technology, and Nagardo®, our natural preservative, that helps to ensure that your beverages are safe to consume. In addition, Nagardo® now also offers these benefits for special food applications.
With consumers increasingly demanding clean-label, natural, and functional products, how is LANXESS adapting its ingredient portfolio to meet evolving market preferences?
LANXESS offers a wide range of nature-identical and naturally derived solutions that meet stringent environmental and safety standards.
One notable development is our brand ‘Scopeblue’ – sustainable product portfolio. The Scopeblue label of LANXESS identifies product that enable climate-friendly solutions and contribute to a circular economy. They offer a concrete sustainability benefit to our customers. Only products that meet at least one of the following two criteria can receive the Scopeblue label:
- The products contain at least 50% sustainable raw materials + 10% reduced Product Carbon Footprint (PCF)
- The carbon footprint of the products is at least 50% lower than that of conventional products
Sustainable products are the future. To name a few brands which belong to the Scopeblue family include Lewatit® Scopeblue (Based on bio-circular acrylonitrile > 90% sustainable raw materials) ; TMP® Scopeblue (Uses bio-based n-butylaldehyde 54% sustainable raw materials); Purox® S Scopeblue, a biodegradable sodium benzoate preservative made using green energy and renewable inputs.
Preservatives often face scrutiny, how does LANXESS ensure that its preservative solutions are both effective and aligned with global safety and regulatory standards?
LANXESS makes food safe and sustainable. Our preservatives protect food and beverages, extending their shelf life and helping to reduce food waste. Through extensive testing, stringent quality control, and continuous innovation, we ensure that are products comply with the strictest food safety regulations worldwide. By integrating cutting-edge technology with sustainable practices, LANXESS provides preservatives that enable clean-label formulations without sacrificing performance or compliance.
For example, our Purox® S (sodium benzoate) is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as a food additive and is also known as E21.
The business unit also offers a range of products that are certified Kosher and Halal, meeting the specific requirements of various markets.
Our solutions also ensure that food and beverages taste good, whether it’s menthol in chewing gum, cinnamon in bakery products or technologies that sweeten sugar.
What role does sustainability play in your R&D and production processes within the F&F segment?
Sustainability is embedded in LANXESS’ R&D strategy and vision. We prioritize the development of environmentally responsible ingredients, focusing on renewable raw materials, energy-efficient manufacturing, and green chemistry principles. This includes innovations in bio-based preservatives, multifunctionals, and aroma ingredients tailored for food, beverage, and personal care applications. These efforts support LANXESS’ broader goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2040.
By 2050, LANXESS aims to make its entire value chain climate-neutral and the Flavors & Fragrances business unit is leading the way. To supply sustainable raw materials, the business unit has entered into strategic collaborations with its key suppliers. The sustainable raw materials portfolio includes bio-based and circular raw materials as an alternative to crude oil derivatives, but also raw materials with a reduced carbon footprint thanks to the use of renewable energies, e.g. sustainable electrolysis products.
