Agave nectar

Blue Agave (Agave tequilana)

Agave nectar (also called agave syrup) is a sweetener commercially produced in Mexico from several species of agave, including the Blue Agave (Agave tequilana), Salmiana Agave (Agave salmiana), Green Agave, Grey Agave, Thorny Agave, and Rainbow Agave.^[1][2] Agave nectar is sweeter than honey, though less viscous.

Agave nectar is produced in the Mexican States of Jalisco, Michoacán, Guanajuato and Tamaulipas, according to Mexican laws pertaining to certificate of origin, although most is produced in Jalisco.

Production

To produce agave nectar, juice is expressed from the core of the agave, called the piña.^[2] The juice is filtered, then heated, to hydrolyze carbohydrates into sugars. The main carbohydrate is a complex form of fructose called inulin or fructosan. The filtered, hydrolyzed juice is concentrated to a syrup-like liquid a little thinner than honey and ranges in color from light to dark depending on the degree of processing. The syrup naturally contains quantities of iron, calcium, potassium and magnesium which contribute to the resulting color.^{[citation needed]}

An alternative method used to process the agave juice without heat is described in a United States patent for a process that uses enzymes derived from black mold (Aspergillus niger) to hydrolyze the polyfructose extract into fructose.^[3] A. niger fermentation is "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).^[4]

Composition

Agave nectar consists primarily of fructose and glucose. One source^[5] gives 92% fructose and 8% glucose; another^[6] gives 56% fructose and 20% glucose. These differences presumably reflect variation from one vendor of agave nectar to another. Due to its fructose content and the fact that the glycemic index only measures glucose levels, agave nectar is notable in that its glycemic index and glycemic load are lower than many other natural sweeteners on the market.^[7].

However, the extremely high percentage of fructose (higher than that of high-fructose corn syrup) can be deleterious and can trigger fructose malabsorption, metabolic syndrome^[8], hypertriglyceridemia, decreased glucose tolerance, hyperinsulinemia, and accelerated uric acid formation.^[9][10][11]  

Culinary use

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Agave nectar is often substituted for sugar or honey in recipes. Vegans in particular commonly use agave nectar to replace honey in recipes.^[12] It is also used as a sweetener for cold beverages such as iced tea because it can dissolve quickly.^[13]

Agave nectars are sold in light, amber, dark, and raw varieties. Light agave nectar has a mild, almost neutral flavor, and is therefore sometimes used in delicate tasting foods and drinks. Amber agave nectar has a medium-intensity caramel flavor, and is therefore used in foods and drinks with stronger flavors. Dark agave nectar has stronger caramel notes, and imparts a distinct flavor to dishes, such as some desserts, poultry, meat, and seafood dishes. Both amber and dark agave nectar are sometimes used "straight out of the bottle" as a topping for pancakes and waffles. Raw agave nectar also has a mild, neutral taste. It is produced at temperatures below 118 °F (48 °C) to protect the natural enzymes, so this variety is an appropriate sweetener for raw foodists.^[14]

See also

• Agave
• Mezcal

Notes

1. ^ Hocman, Karen (August 2009). "Agave Nectar a.k.a. Agave Syrup". The Nibble. http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/nutri/cookies/agave-ice-cream.asp. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Blue Agave and Its Importance in the Tequila Industry
3. ^ "Method of producing fructose syrup from agave plants (United States Patent 5846333)". 1998-12-08. http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/5846333.html. 
4. ^ "Inventory of GRAS Notices: Summary of all GRAS Notices". US FDA/CFSAN. 2008-10-22. http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~rdb/opa-gras.html. Retrieved 2008-10-31. 
5. ^ Ronald C. Deis (February 2001). "Sweetners for Health Foods". Food Product Design. http://www.foodproductdesign.com/archive/2001/0201ap.html. 
6. ^ Ralf Patzold and Hans Bruckner (2005). "Mass Spectrometric Detection and Formation of D-Amino Acids in Processed Plant Saps, Syrups, and Fruit Juice Concentrates". J. Agric. Food Chem 53: 9722−9729. doi:10.1021/jf051433u. http://www.uni-giessen.de/fbr09/food/download/Publikationen/J%20agric%20food%20chem%202005%2053%209722-9729_jf051433u.pdf. 
7. ^ David Mendosa. Revised International Table of Glycemic Index (GI) and Glycemic Load (GL) Values—2002. http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm. 
8. ^ Basciano H, Federico L, Adeli K (2005). "Fructose, insulin resistance, and metabolic dyslipidemia". Nutrition & Metabolism 2 (5). doi:10.1186/1743-7075-2-5. PMID PMC552336. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=552336. 
9. ^ Mayes, PA (1993). "Intermediary metabolism of fructose". Am J Clin Nutr. Nov: 58. PMID 8213607. 
10. ^ Buemann B, Toubro S, Holst JJ, Rehfeld JF, Bibby BM, Astrup A (2000). "D-tagatose, a stereoisomer of D-fructose, increases blood uric acid concentration". Metabolism Aug (49): 969–76. PMID 10954012. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8213607. 
11. ^ Davis, W (2008). "Yet another reason to avoid fructose". The Heart Scan Blog Dec (6). http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/yet-another-reason-to-avoid-fructose.html. 
12. ^ http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Vegan-Agave-Cornbread-Muffins/Detail.aspx
13. ^ http://offhercork.com/2009/06/tuesday-tip-thoughts-on-agave-nectar/
14. ^ Ania Catalano. Baking With Agave Nectar: Over 100 Recipes Using Nature's Ultimate Sweetener, 2008, Celestial Arts, p. ix .

Bibliography

Mancilla-Margalli, N. A., and M. G. Lopez. "Generation of Maillard Compounds From Inulin During the Thermal Processing of Agave tequilana Weber var. azul. J. Agric. Food Chem. vol. 50 (2002), pp. 806-812.