What is that
Agave syrup - in the Anglo-Saxon language "agave syrup" or "agave nectar - is a sweet food used as a natural sweetener.
It is produced by processing some Species of the genus Agave, including the American, the tequilana (or blue agave) and the Salmiana .
Agave syrup is often advertised as a "healthy sweetener", but not without criticism from the scientific community.
In fact, due to its high fructose content (even higher than corn syrup), it can be responsible for the chronic increase in blood sugar (hyperglycemia), which is related to: overweight, insulin resistance and hypertriglyceridemia (all risk factors cardiovascular). Obviously, this happens exclusively in conjunction with an excess of the portions and the frequency of consumption of the food.
Composition and Health
As anticipated, agave syrup is mainly composed of glucides; specifically, 47-56% fructose and 16-20% glucose. The percentage differences between the products are probably due to variations in cultivation and to the different species of agave.
The glycemic index of agave syrup is comparable to that of fructose syrup for the same glycemic load (or portion). This is a fairly reasonable parameter, as it is much lower than sucrose.
On the other hand, excessive consumption of fructose can also be detrimental and trigger:
- Symptomatology of intestinal malabsorption of fructose
- Hyperglycemia
- Hypertriglyceridemia
- Reduction of glucose tolerance
- hyperinsulinemia
- Metabolic syndrome
- Acceleration of uric acid synthesis.
Culinary uses
Agave syrup is 1.4-1.6 times sweeter than sucrose and is often used as a substitute for sugar in recipes. Being extremely soluble, it is used as a sweetener for cold drinks. Moreover, thanks to its viscosity, it is sometimes used as a clumping ingredient for breakfast cereals.
Vegans use it, like maple syrup, as an alternative to honey.
The raw foodists who, in addition to following a vegan diet, do not consume cooked foods, use a type of agave syrup called "raw or raw."
Agave syrup is marketed in various types: light, amber, dark and raw or raw. In the next chapter we will better understand how different products can be obtained from the same plant. Now, let's proceed with the organoleptic description of the various types of agave syrup:
- Clear: it has a delicate, almost neutral flavor and is therefore used in particularly delicate dishes and drinks
- Amber: it has a medium intensity flavor, tending to caramel, and is used in dishes and beverages with a strong taste
- Dark: it has rather intense caramel notes and gives a distinct flavor to structured dishes such as some desserts, poultry, other meats and fish.
Amber and dark agave syrup are sometimes used "directly from the bottle" as a condiment for pancakes, pancackes, waffles, waffles and French toast.
The dark version is not filtered and therefore contains a higher concentration of minerals.
Raw agave syrup has a more delicate, neutral taste and is produced at temperatures below 48 ° C; in this way it is possible to reduce the enzymatic denaturation of the catalysts naturally present in the agave plant.
Production
To traditionally produce American and Tequilana Agave syrup, the leaves of plants must be cut when the organism has reached a minimum age of seven and a maximum of fourteen.
The juice is then extracted from the internal pulp, called "piña", then filtered and finally heated to hydrolyse the polysaccharides into simple sugars; the main polysaccharide is called inulin or fructosan, since it consists mainly of fructose.
The filtered juice is concentrated to obtain a syrupy liquid, slightly less dense than honey. The color varies from light, amber and dark, depending on the temperature and the processing time.
The Agave Salmiana, on the other hand, is processed differently. With the development of the entire plant, a stem called "quiote" also grows; it is expressed before it emerges completely, leaving a hole to which it is filled with the so-called "aguamiel". The liquid, collected daily, is then heated to hydrolyse the polysaccharides and prevent fermentation (at the base of the so-called "pulque", an alcoholic beverage).
There is also an alternative processing method to heat; this, patented in the United States, exploits the enzymatic action of Aspergillus niger (yeast) for the conversion of inulin into fructose; this microorganism is "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS), that is "generally considered safe" by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).