Agave Syrup: Sweet Market, Sticky Situation

Demand for natural sweeteners has expanded possibilities for the syrup from agave, the same native Mexican plant that supplies the base for tequila. Proponents claim it is healthier than many sweeteners now on the marketit is sweeter than sucrose and therefore supplies less calories, and some recommend it for diabetics because it causes less of a spike in blood pressure than sugar.

Companies are starting to take advantage of agave syrups positive reputation in health-food circles by adding it to products like beverages and baked goods, featuring it on restaurant menus, and marketing it as an all-purpose sweetener. But, before using it in products, formulators might want to check their suppliers and heed the warnings in a recent article in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). Not only can the composition vary depending on source and processingand supplier reliability due to adulterationbut it might actually prove dangerous for diabetics.

Agave syrup, or nectar, as it is sometimes called, gets it sweetness from longer-chain carbohydrates, such as inulin, hydrolyzed to fructose and glucose. The composition varies, depending on the product; the fructose content can range from 50% or 60% up to 90%-plus. Agave is reported to be 1.4 to 1.6 times as sweet as sugar. And, depending on the type of processingexcessive browning can occur and negatively affect flavor qualityagave can have little or no flavor, or taste similar to honey or maple syrup.

However, according to the WSJ, the Glycemic Research Institute (GRI), a Washington, D.C., laboratory, issued a warning in October that diabetics experienced severe and dangerous side effects during testing of an agave nectar, a maple-flavored version of agave nectar, sold by Global Goods Inc., of Highland, UT. "The diabetics passed out on the floor and had to be taken to the hospital," says Ann de Wees Allen, chief of biomedical research, GRI, in the article. The GRI is unsure if variations in the fructose level caused the problems, or if the reaction was due to something unknown, but is conducting an investigation.