Agave Nectar

Agave is a sweet syrup, like honey, but a little thinner in consistency. Because it has a low glycermic index and will not elevate blood sugar, it is a great honey replacement for diabetics and low-glycemic dieters.

There has been some confusion regarding agave. Some claims have been made and unsubstantiated statements. I studied all of those and then took a look at agave for myself. What I learned is that all agaves are NOT alike.

Below is an explanation of agave and the kinds of differences between agaves. I personally eat agave and I am recommending it. However, there are some questions that in my mind still don't have answers, so I want you to decide for yourself.

ORIGINS AND PROCESSING

Agave is a plant of many species and long historical use. It has been used by natives of Mexico for centuries. Agaves were generally used as food plants, harvested right after winter and eaten as a vegetable. Agave is sweet, and regarded as a source of sugar. The plants with emerging flower stalks were chosen as others were bitter. The flowers and nectar are edible. Historically, an unfermented drink called Aguamiel was made from this plant. It is also fermented into a drink called Pulque and distilled into Tequila and Mescal. (much more on historical uses...)

Agave is rich in vitamin B, C, D, E, calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, zinc, selenium, and chromium.

Medicinally, agave has been used as a blood purifier, to improve digestion, and as an anti-inflammatory.

The commercial sweetener called agave was developed in the mid-1990s in Mexico.

Agave nectar is harvested from living plants. The top of the plant is cut off and the core is hollowed out, then capped with a stone. The plant then secretes its nectar into the center of the plant. It collects in the hollow center for a few days, then the liquid is removed--similar to tapping a maple tree to collect sap for syrup. The juice is then processed into simple fructose and dextrose.

There are two types of processing. One is by enzymes, in which enzymes are added to the fresh nectar to split the complex natural sugars into simple sugars, similar to the process by which bees turn nectar into honey. The other is by hydrolysis, in which water is added. Hydrolysis is considered the superior process.

Agave is produced in different grades, of varying color and flavor. Light agave is flavor neutral (it adds sweetness, but no flavor of its own). Amber and Dark agaves add sweetness and a mellow flavor, much like honey and maple syrup.

To make light agave, minerals, color, and flavor are extracted, and then the nectar is cooked down to concentrate the sweetness. Amber and Dark agaves retain the natural minerals, color, and flavor of the agave.

So while agave comes from a natural source, it is not in its natural state.

Virtually all agaves sold are organically-grown (but check the label to be sure).

And, by the way, labels may say "agave." "agave syrup," "agave nectar" or something else, but they are all processed agave. None are the unprocessed agave liquid as it comes from the plant.

VARIETIES

There are over 200 varieties of agave. The most popular is Blue Weber, which is used to make tequila.

Originally, blue agave was used to make agave syrup. During the late 1990s, there was a shortage of blue agave, so wild agaves were used. Currently there are agave syrups made from at least half a dozen varieties, the most popular being blue agave, agave salimiana, agave Americana and agave mapisaga.

Blue agaves are more expensive, wild agaves are more economical.

IS AGAVE POISONOUS?

Parts of the agave plant are known to be poisonous, but the nectar is not. I've seen many texts that say agave is poisonous, but most do not say what part, so there has been some confusion on this point.

The agave plant has long leaves with needles along the edges that can be harmful to the touch. These leaves can also produce a toxic liquid that can cause skin to itch and burn. But the fruit itself, from which the nectar comes, is not toxic.

Many poison control and herbal references list "agave" as being toxic, however, the ones I have seen do not specify the part.

RAW VS COOKED

Agave comes in standard and raw.

Raw agave is not raw in the sense that it is like an apple freshly picked from a tree, but rather "raw" as defined by the raw foods movement.

In the raw foods world, the main difference between raw foods and cooked foods is enzymes, which aid the body in the digestive process. These enzymes break down the food so it can be absorbed into our blood stream. Raw foods are full of living enzymes. These enzymes are compromised at temperatures near 118 degrees F and completely destroyed at about 130 degrees F. In addition, at the temperatures used to cook food, vitamins, minerals, proteins, and everything required for a healthy body are also destroyed.

"Raw" agave is agave that has not been heated beyond 118-120 degrees F.

All commercially available agave comes from Mexico. It is the only country producing agave.

FRUCTOSE

When pressed from the plant, the agave juice is about 90 percent inulin-fructooligosaccharides. The processing breaks this down into into fructose and dextrose.

The fructose that comes from processing corn into high fructose corn syrup is harmful to health.

There is a difference, however, between the fructose in agave nectar and the fructose in high fructose corn syrup. Suppliers of agave say that the fructose in agave is a slow release, and does not stimulate the insulin secretion that causes blood sugar rise. High fructose corn syrup does make blood sugar rise.

AGAVE COMPARISON

So my husband and I decided to do a "science experiment"--as he calls it--to see how different agaves affect blood sugar, since it is being recommended for diabetics.

On the logic that a raw agave would be closer to its natural state than one processed at higher temperatures, I selected out the brands that advertise themselves to be raw. Three brands I eliminated because they do not state they are raw were Sweet Cactus Farms, Rawganique, and Volcanic. Note that some of the raw brands also sell agave processed at higher temperatures, so if you want raw, check the label carefully.

We were actually surprised at the results.

Overall, the light agaves had a greater blood sugar rise than the dark agaves--except...the one "cooked" agave we tested just as a control tested much lower than the light raw agaves! In the range, actually of the dark raw agaves.

The first test we did was on the cooked Madhava. Larry tested one teaspoon. There was NO change. So if you eat only one teaspoon, I would say a diabetic could eat agave. Even when we upped the test to one tablespoon, the rise was only 10 points, and this is within the error range of the blood sugar monitor. By contrast, some others elevated blood sugar by 20 to 30 points, which is significant.

Our conclusion was that there is a wide variation in how different agaves affect blood sugar and if this is a concern for you, you should test various agaves in your own body to see how it responds.

Both Larry and I actually preferred the slightly caramel flavor of the dark agaves.

All the brands tested are organic and not heated over 118 degrees F (this is stated by all except Madhava)

BRAND AGAVE VARIETIES % FRUCTOSE BLOOD SUGAR RISE

Holistic Enterprises - light Americana + mapisaga 67-69% + 30

Organic Nectars - light Salmiana 70% + 22

Organic Nectars - dark Salmiana 70% + 6

Madhava - light Salmiana + 19

Wholesome Sweeteners - dark Blue + 4

Madhava - light (cooked) Salmiana +10

NOTE: This is the blood sugar rise for one specific person, not intended to be what it would be in every individual.

CHARACTERISTICS OF AGAVE

So if you have gotten this far and decided to use agave, here are some facts about its characteristics.

Agave nectar is a wonderful sweetener for beverages such as ice tea or lemonade as it dissolves easily. Drizzle it over yogurt or cereal. Use it to sweeten salad dressings and BBQ sauce. For baking, you can substitute agave in recipes as you would honey. Use three-fourths agave for the recommended amount of sugar and reduce the amount of liquid.

In comparison to some of the other natural sweeteners, it has a nice clean "sugar" sweetness and holds up well to heat.

1 Serving is considered to be 1 tablespoon. 1 tablespoon has 60 calories and 16 grams carbohydrate.

1 teaspoon equals a free food. Two teaspoons equals 1/2 carbohydrate exchange.

Agave is less viscous than honey, making it easy to pour and blend into cooked and raw foods.

In baking, moisture retention is similar to honey, so it's great for cakes and breads, but won't make a crisp cookie or hard candy.

Has a long shelf life and will not crystallize.

Store in a cool, dry, dark location.