Low-Glycemic Sweeteners: Is Agave Syrup Healthy?
Uncovering the bittersweet reality of how agave syrup is made
Is agave syrup healthy?
It's marketed as one of the healthy sugar alternatives. Most consumers are under the impression that it's minimally processed and made in a similar way to maple syrup—by poking a hole in the agave plant to collect the sap, then boiling it to concentrate its sugars.
Decades ago, they would have been correct in believing that it was healthy, but the commercially available sweetener found on supermarket shelves today is entirely different.
To understand how agave syrup is made, you have to look at how it’s processed—hydrolyzing the plant’s starches into sugar.
Natural whole foods such as sugar cane and monk fruit are significantly different from their ultra-refined and concentrated counterparts of white sugar and mogroside V powder mixed with erythritol.
Processing a healthful whole food robs it of nutritious fiber and phytonutrients and may leave traces of chemicals. The result is a profitable product, not food—see Eat Like a Human, Not a Machine.
Aguamiel: agave’s low-glycemic version of maple syrup?
Aguamiel is the sap from the agave plant. As the succulent reaches maturity (at least 5 to 15 years, depending on the species), it produces a giant flower stalk that can grow up to 30 feet tall.
Collecting aguamiel involves cutting the stalk before it flowers, letting the plant rest for at least 1 to 3 months to concentrate its sugars, then gathering the sap twice daily for 2 to 8 months, until the plant dies.
The traditional method is by sucking the sap by mouth into a long gourd that has an opening on both ends. A modern alternative is to suck on a plastic hose to transfer the sap into a plastic bottle.
Aguamiel ("honey water") has been prized for centuries in Mexico, serving as both a nourishing elixir rich in probiotics and the foundation for pulque, a cherished fermented beverage in Mexican culture.
Heating aguamiel to evaporate the water and concentrate its sweetness was a historic way of making agave syrup, reminiscent of making maple syrup. This is how it's marketed nowadays.
However, since collecting aguamiel is labor intensive, commercial production involves hydrolyzing the piña (the core of the agave plant, which resembles a pineapple) due to its higher efficiency and yield.
The starchy complex carbohydrates in the piña, mainly inulin, are broken down into simple sugars of glucose and fructose using heat, acid, or enzymes. The hydrolyzed syrup from certain species of agave can be fermented and distilled into mezcal or tequila.
Heat or thermal hydrolysis: the time-honored way
Roasting piñas in smoky underground pits is how mezcal has been made for hundreds of years. This method takes 3 days to a week—so only rare, artisanal tequilas are made this way.
Brick oven cooking with steam takes 36 to 72 hours. The highest-rated tequilas tend to be made this way, as the slow cooking creates caramelization and complex flavors.
Autoclaves, which are stainless steel pressure cookers, can cut the cooking time down to 8 to 20 hours. Many tequilas are produced using autoclaves.
A diffuser is a piece of equipment that uses hot water to extract starches from shredded piñas. Running piñas through a diffuser takes about 4 hours, then hydrolyzation can be completed with cooking in an autoclave for 3 hours. Inexpensive tequilas with a bland, single-note flavor tend to use this method.
The flavor of tequila will vary based on the hydrolysis method. It’s like comparing pork cooked for over 24 hours in an underground pit, such as the traditional Mayan cochinita pibil or Hawaiian kalua pork, versus baking it in the oven for 4 to 6 hours versus 1 hour in the Instant Pot.
Taste Tequila analyzed 48,345 ratings to see how the method of production affected the taste and rating.
Acid hydrolysis: commercial agave syrup processing
Commercial agave syrup and low-grade tequilas are produced with acid. This efficient industrial process can be completed in 3 to 4 hours, depending on conditions such as temperature and concentration of acid. Tequilas made this way are usually bitter and medicinal tasting and need additives to make them palatable.
While both sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid are effective catalysts for hydrolyzing carbohydrates, sulfuric acid is the primary acid of choice in the production of agave syrup due to its higher efficiency and effectiveness. Sulfuric acid is a stronger acid and can provide a more rapid and complete hydrolysis of inulin, yielding a higher fructose content in the final syrup.
As a side note, the use of strong acids can also introduce challenges related to waste disposal and environmental impact.
Enzyme hydrolysis: somewhere in the middle
Enzymatic hydrolysis generally takes longer than acid but is often faster than heat hydrolysis. The time can vary depending on the type of enzyme used, the concentration, and the desired degree of hydrolysis.
While enzyme hydrolysis offers higher specificity and milder conditions compared to acid hydrolysis, it can be more expensive than acid in large-scale production due to the cost of enzymes and longer processing times.
The high fructose syrup connection: a disturbing resemblance
The shocking truth about agave syrup lies in its processing. Though claiming to be natural, it undergoes a highly refined process that draws eerie parallels to high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Just like HFCS, agave syrup is hydrolyzed to create a high-fructose sweetener. This concentrates fructose to alarming levels.
While agave syrup and HFCS are derived from different sources, their manufacturing methods share significant similarities. Cornstarch is extracted from corn, then hydrolyzed to yield corn syrup comprised of mostly glucose. Historically, hydrolyzation was done with hydrochloric acid and some heat, though nowadays, enzymes may be used. Corn syrup can then be further processed into HFCS by enzymatically converting some of its glucose into fructose.
Agave syrup is often touted as a healthy sugar substitute because of its low glycemic index. Now reframe that seemingly beneficial low glycemic index by examining the fructose content—agave syrup has one of the highest fructose contents of any commercial sweetener, often more than HFCS!
Is high fructose syrup worse than sugar? Consuming high amounts of fructose can increase the risk of fatty liver, liver damage, high levels of triglycerides, and other metabolic disorders.
Eating a few servings of whole fruit a day isn’t a problem—it’s the ultra-processed, concentrated forms of fructose that are damaging.
Is agave healthy? It boils down to time and money
While it might claim to be a product of tradition, the reality reveals a different tale.
Collecting aguamiel for syrup production is labor-intensive and yields a small quantity. Depending on the agave species and growing conditions, it requires at least 5 to 15 years for the agave plant to reach maturity for flowering. Then there is a waiting period of at least 1 to 3 months for the plant to concentrate its sugars. Finally, the sap has to be gathered by hand twice a day for several months. Thus, aguamiel harvesting is reserved for making pulque and not commercial agave syrup.
In contrast, hydrolyzing the piña to break down its complex carbohydrates into simple sugars is more efficient, aligning with the economics of mass production.
When using heat hydrolyzation, the piñas have to accumulate enough complex carbohydrates, which means a minimum age of 5 to 6 years before harvest. Heat hydrolyzation can take between 7 hours to a week.
Though faster and more efficient than aguamiel collection, heat hydrolyzation is more expensive than acid hydrolysis, so it is used for mezcal and tequila, not commercial agave syrup.
Due to its high efficiency, acid hydrolysis, which can be completed in 3 to 4 hours, can be used on agaves that aren’t mature or sweet—plants as young as 4 years old. This is the most efficient and cost-effective way to produce agave fructose syrup.
The health claims that surround it cover up a highly processed product, mirroring high fructose corn syrup. The acid hydrolysis process and cost considerations contradict its "wholesome" origin.
See agave syrup for what it truly is—a highly processed product marketed with a deceptive narrative.
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