Q: Why are there different colors of agave?

A: There are different colors or shades of agave — light, amber and dark. The darker the shade, the longer it has been processed.  The additional heat brings out a stronger agave flavor with honey-nutty-flowery notes to it.  It is by no means “burnt” as if it is an accident or under poor quality control situations.  Xagave is processed in a plant that meets USDA organic certification and European certification requirements.  The facility also meets Kosher certification.  In fact, our facilities meet the highest level of Kosher certification which is “Passover Certification”.  I have personally visited the facility several times, reviewed the process, and I feel confident in saying that it is of the highest quality.

Q: Do the darker shades of agave have less nutritional value because of the longer processing time?

A: The simple fact is that amber and dark agaves are MORE processed than the light agaves and are not any healthier for you. You cannot apply the white rice vs. brown rice principle to agave nectar.

Q: How does White Agave compare to Blue Agave?

A: “Agave Tequilana, commonly referred to as blue agave is processed by first removing the pina, which is the root or bulb of the plant.  This pina is then ground down and water is run through it (hydrolysis) which pulls the fiberous inulin out of the ground down bulb.  This is the fiber that is blended with white agave to create Xagave.  Blue agave is a bit like honey in that when cooked with it certainly imparts a distinct flavor when compared to its flavor neutral cousin Agave Salmiana.

“Agave Salmiana, or white agave is processed much differently than its genre cousin Agave Tequilana.  Agave Salmiana at gestation grows a large flower from the center of the plant called the Quiote.  This Quiote is cut off before it fully grows (when the plants is 7-8 years old) creating a hole or pool of liquid in the center of the plant, called “aguamiel.”  The plant is then milked twice daily as the aguamiel collects.  It is important to note that the aguamiel is not the sap of the leaves as some have noted (the sap from the Agave Salmiana leaves contain saponins, raphides and calcium oxalate rendering it inedible).  Aguamiel is the juice that the plant prepares to feed the Quiote.  It is full of nutrients as it contains large amounts of carbohydrates, fructans, vitamins and aminoacids.   This juice, if left to ferment, turns into a mild alcoholic drink, but the removal of the water in the juice by evaporation leaves us the white agave nectar.”

(Wow, I’m still a little dazed and confused by this answer, but then he clarified a little more for me…)

“Our intent was to create the best tasting (i.e. most neutral flavored) agave on the market. Hence, Xagave, is only light in color (the least processed) and of the Agave Salmiana (white agave) variety. We love the benefits of inulin — both health and cooking properties — so we extract it from the blue agave prior to it being processed and broken down into sugars and blend it with the white. This gives Xagave a much better taste and texture than any other agave on the market as well as the most neutral flavor. Hence, Xagave is the “Complete Sugar Replacement”™ and the most versatile product on the market — not to mention the least processed!”

Hopefully that clears up some of the more nuts and bolts questions about agave and what makes Xagave different.

Do you have any questions about the agave processing or how Xagave fits into the picture?

What We Believe

We believe in stepping outside the box to offer people a unique and healthy alternative to mainstream sweetener options. This belief prompted us to create Xagave which is a proprietary blend of the calcium rich white agave and the nutritional inulin extracted from the preprocessed blue agave. There is nothing on the market like it.

We are believers  in moderation in all things.  We believe that over consuming any type of sugar is bad, whether it be sucrose, fructose, glucose, maltose or lactose.  You may have heard that Americans consume as much as 150 to 200 pounds of sugar a year – this is clearly too much.  The concept behind BetterBody Foods & Nutrition and Delicious Meets Nutritious is to find ways to significantly reduce sugar in all forms, reduce fat, and incorporate whole grains into the foods that we love.  Simply, we are trying to make foods delicious and nutritious.

We cannot speak on behalf of other agave nectar brands, but here is a response to the claims that have been made regarding agave and how they apply to Xagave Premium Blend Agave Nectar.

• The first claim is that agave nectar is not made from the sap of the plant but from the starch of the root bulb. The main constituent of the agave root is starch

The Facts: Agave does not contain starch. Agave is made from the root of the plant, sometimes referred to as the bulb or the “pina”.  The agave process is nothing like the process used to derive High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) from corn starch as agave nectar is derived from the fructans of the agave plant.  There are two processes utilized, one is simply heating the nectar to break the fructans down into sugars (fructose and glucose) and the other is to introduce organic certified enzymes to break the fructans down into sugars (fructose and glucose). We prefer the organic enzymes process due to the fact that it eliminates the need to heat the nectar and permits us to retain a “raw” status.  Xagave is a USDA certified organic product and is certified to contain no genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

*For a full discussion on the process of Xagave please see our website.

• The second claim is that Agave contains more fructose than High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). Ranging up to 90%!

The Facts: Agave is composed of 49% fructose which is lower than table sugar and HFCS. It is also lower in total sugars (being 49% fructose, 17% glucose) than the other natural options.  For a comparison of your sweetener options, comparing total sugars (fructose and glucose), calories, and glycemic index, please review the chart below and decide for yourself.  You will note that Xagave’s total sugars are lower than table sugar, honey or date paste. It also provides calorie savings and is significantly lower on the glycemic index.

Sweetener Comparison Chart

Please note that blue agave has a higher fructose and fructose content will depend on how long it has been processed. The above fructose content is based on Xagave which is a white agave based product.

*Sugar is actually sucrose, but sucrose, upon consumption breaks down into fructose and glucose in roughly equal parts.

**  Information was not readily available on date paste, so the author utilized medjool dates as the metric.

*** Total Sugar may exceed fructose and glucose because of other sugars such as sucrose and maltose.

Here is a little more perspective on the fructose content of Xagave: An average size Fuji Apple weighs between 180 and 300 grams and will contain about 15 to 25 grams of sugar.  The 25 grams is split 15 to 18 grams of fructose and 5 to 8 grams of glucose.  Two tablespoons of Xagave has 18 grams of fructose and 3 grams of glucose; thus, two tablespoons of Xagave has about the same fructose of one large apple and less glucose!  Our recipe for Carrot Cake contains about 1 tbsp of Xagave per serving; therefore containing less fructose than a large apple. When baking or cooking foods that require a sweetener, using Xagave instead of table sugar can actually decrease your fructose consumption. Xagave is clearly the better option, but it is important to remember that all sweeteners should be used in moderation.

• The third claim is that agave is not low glycemic and therefore just as bad for diabetics as regular processed sugars.

The Facts: Xagave is a low Glycemic Index Food.  Xagave is between 30 and 35 which places it in the “low” category.  The glycemic test on Xagave was conducted by an independent laboratory. The Glycemic Index for other popular sweeteners are as follows:

• High fructose Corn Syrup: 62
• Table Sugar (Sucrose): 58-65
• Honey: 46 to 83
• Xagave: 30 to 35

**For Xagave Independent Lab Results Click Here,

**** Glycemic Values obtained from “International table of glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) values”

Summary

The simple truth is that there are a number of sweeteners on the market, all claiming to be the best.  Xagave brand agave nectar is a great alternative that can help you reduce your total sugar intake by as much as 50%.  It tastes delicious and can be used to cook, can and bake and can be utilized to also reduce the fats in your diet while improving the taste and texture of you foods.  It is a low glycemic food that does not spike your blood sugar levels and it contains fiber, which studies have shown improve digestive health.  Look at the facts and we are sure that you will come to the same conclusion that we have. Enjoy in moderation!

More opinions on agave:

Dr Weil’s Thoughts

An Examination of Agave Facts and Fiction

The Is Agave Bad For You Fallacy

Agave: Hero or Villain

For a response to Dr. Mercola’s recent agave article, click here

Pina from the Agave Tequiliana (Blue Agave)

Having just returned from the Natural Products Expo East in Boston, couldn’t help but notice that there are a lot of questions about how the different Agaves are processed, referring to both Agave Salmiana or White Agave and Agave Tequiliana or Blue Agave.  Just saying “agave” is not misleading, rather it is not specific enough when comparing the two types of agave that can be made into nectar since the term refers to the genre (or genus), not the species.

Agave Tequilana, commonly referred to as Blue Agave is processed by first removing the pina, which is the root or bulb of the plant.  This pina is then ground down and water is run through it (hydrolisis) which pulls the fiberous inulin out of the ground down bulb.  This is the fiber that is blended with white agave to create Xagave.  Blue Agave is a bit like honey in that when cooked with it certainly imparts a distinct flavor when compared to its flavor neutral cousin Agave Salmiana. 

Agave Salmiana, or White Agave is processed much differently than it’s genre cousin Agave Tequilana.  Agave Salmiana at gestation grows a large flower from the center of the plant called the Quiote.  This Quiote is cut off before it fully grows (when the plants is 7-8 years old) creating a hole or pool of liquid in the center of the plant, called “Aguamiel.”  The plant is then milked twice daily as the Aguamiel collects.  It is important to note that the Aguamiel is not the sap of the leaves as some have noted (the sap from the Agave Salmiana leaves contain saponins, raphides and calcium oxalate rendering it inedible).  Aguamiel is the juice that the plant prepares to feed the Quiote.  It is full of nutrients as it contains large amounts of carbohydrates, fructans, vitamins and aminoacids.   This juice, if left to ferment, turns into a mild alcholic drink, but the removal of the water in the juice by evaporation leaves us the White Agave nectar.

When making Xagave, organic enzymes are introduced to the Aguamiel to break  fructans into fructose/dextrose.  The Aguamiel is then evaporated at (<105º F) to reduce it to the right viscosity.  This makes our product very clear, sweet and mild flavored (almost flavor neutral).  We then blend Inulin fiber extracted from the pre-processed Agave Tequilana (blue agave) plant. Because making blue agave nectar generally requires high processing temperatures, we make sure to extract the inulin before the high temperatures are used. This makes Xagave a truly unique sweetener with the best taste and the best profile, and the only sweetener on the market with added health benefits of fiber (12% by volume or 2.5 g per tablespoon) and a high Calcium content (17% of your daily requirement per tablespoon).

We encourage everyone to taste Xagave and see for him or herself why it truly is the complete sugar replacement!

Xagave Lab Analysis PDF

References:

http://www.paleobioticslab.com/agave_yields.htm

http://newfarm.rodaleinstitute.org/international/panam_don/sept04/pulque.shtml

 We always emphasize the health benefits of the inulin content in Xagave and its prebiotic properties. There have been several questions concerning the differences between prebiotics and probiotics. You have probably seen advertisements promoting yogurt and dairy products that contain probiotics.  People often ask if this is related to the prebiotics in Xagave.

 Probiotics are micro bacteria such as acidophilus that are commonly added to dairy products. These good bacteria aid in digestion and have been shown to make your digestive tract — particularly the lower intestines or gut — healthier.  Seventy percent (70%) of our immune system is located in the gut so a healthy gut makes for a healthy you; thus “boosting your immune system.”  Prebiotics on the other hand are not bacteria like the probiotics, but are food for the bacteria.  Bacteria actually feed on prebiotics such as inulin contained in Xagave. Prebiotics have the same affect as the probiotics, as they also promote regularity and a healthy digestive tract.  A number of studies including one conducted by the US Department of Agriculture/Baylor University have also shown that prebiotics may moderate blood sugar levels, enhance calcium absorption, increase bone density, and even reduce cancer causing lesions in the gut www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov.

I hope that this helps clarify the difference between probiotics and prebiotics. You can see how prebiotics can be just as beneficial as probiotics if not more. Enjoy!

References:

http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/reprint/129/7/1424S.pdf

Lemon Meringue Pie made with Xagave

Easy to make and one that we commonly bake at our cooking demos that people are always asking us for! Tastes fantastic and of course all sorts of calories saved over a traditional pie. Why? Because by using Xagave premium agave nectar instead of sugar you can achieve the same level of sweetness (it is pie after all!) but with less calories since Xagave is sweeter than regular sugar. Enjoy!

Lemon Meringue Pie

Pie Crust
1 precooked pie crust

Filling
2/3 cup Xagave
1 cup milk
6 large yolks (save egg whites for meringue below)
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp. lemon zest
2 tbsp. butter (salted or unsalted)
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup water
5 tablespoons cornstarch

Meringue
4 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 tbsp. Xagave

Steps:
In a sauce pan, combine Xagave, milk, egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon zest, butter, and salt. Brint to boil and immediately reduce to simmer while stirring with a whisk. Combine water and corn starch and mix until all
clumps are gone. Whisk in corn starch and water mixture to simmering ingredients in sauce pan. Mixture will thicken within a minute or two. Poor into precooked pie crust. Beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and pinch of salt in bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add Xagave while beating. Cover the pie evenly with the meringue. Form decorative peaks with a knife or fork. Bake pie at 325℉ for 14 to 16 minutes until meringue is set and golden brown.  Alternatively place pie under broiler for 1 to 2 minutes until meringue is set and golden brown. If you use the broiler alternative, watch the pie to ensure that it does not burn.

Tips and Notes:  Try spreading fresh blueberries or raspberries over top of lemon filling prior to adding meringue. Either tastes delicious and makes this pie extra special.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1/8 slice
Calories 325
Fat 13g
Carbs 40.5g
Dietary Fiber 6g
Sugars 23g
Protein 8g