New info re: Agave Nectar

Hello all! Sorry I've been a slacker on posting. Training is keeping me super busy. Oh...and my real job is keeping me busy too! (I know! I actually have a j-o-b!)

So today's post is about agave nectar...again. A few weeks ago, Kyle from Crossfit Rebellion, posted a link on his site to the Paleo Treats website. I checked it out, and I immediately dismissed these "treats" as non-Paleo due to the agave nectar ingredient. Apparently, the Paleo Treats peeps found these comments and contacted him to state their case. They have sent him info to post on his site, which is posted under January 26 at www.crossfitrebellion.com. I am also copying and pasting the info below. I'm sure that Kyle, nor the Paleo Treat people, will mind.

In summary, the paleo treats are just that...they're treats. They are not meant to be meal replacements or treats to eat everyday. In my opinion they are for the post 90 day strict Paleo people that have pretty much earned the cheat, while staying as close to paleo as possible. A paleo treat with agave nectar would be much better to cheat on than say a piece of chocolate cake (or two). So....here's they're rebuttle. Let me know what you guys think.

Agave Info (From Paleo Treats People)
This is all the info that Paleo Treats sent me. Read it, think about it and see what you think. If you have additional questions please let me know. I will set up an online discussion if need be.

So, here's all the info I have, feel free to post it where you think it'll be appropriate on your site. :)

I've found it helpful when talking about agave in Paleo Treats to remind folks that these are treats, not meals. While they do taste totally BA and are rad and over-the-top delicious and all the rest of it, they're still meant to be a replacement for the occasional dessert you eat as part of a majority lean meats-fruits-nuts-vegetables-seeds etc diet that makes us all feel so damn healthy.

Now, on to the agave info:

First, a short treatise on agave by the president of the company that supplies us. This was pulled from "Natural News".

"NaturalNews:
Last week, NaturalNews published a Citizen Journalist article on agave nectar that criticized the sweetener, saying it was a refined sweetener much like syrup. That article created quite a stir and raised many questions from health-conscious consumers. To tell the other side of the story, we invited the president of Madhava, Craig Gerbore, to submit a response.

What follows is a very thoughtful rebuttal to the original article on agave nectar that appeared on NaturalNews (http://www.naturalnews.com/024892.html). It explains in great detail some of the behind-the-scenes issues involving agave nectar, and it describes how modern agave nectar processing is very different from the outmoded methods described in Nagel's article. It also points out many apparent errors and misrepresentations in the original article. I must emphasize that the original article was a Citizen Journalist article, not an in-house article, and thus it represented the opinions of its author, not NaturalNews. Here at NaturalNews, we continue to publish contributed articles that vary somewhat from our own opinions in order to allow the reader access to more diverse information on important topics.

NaturalNews has promoted agave nectar for many years, believing it to be a healthy, low-glycemic alternative to conventional sweeteners. We hope that this rebuttal from Madhava will help bring more clarity to the agave nectar issue. Here is the full rebuttal from Craig Gerbore:

In response, I must first point out that Mr. Nagel's article is based on the view of a sole individual, Russ Bianchi. I suppose we should thank Mr. Bianchi for pointing out some issues that may have contributed to Iidea's (the initial manufacturer of blue agave nectar) demise from the market, however I want to be clear, this is not about Madhava or our agave nectar. Once a dominant supplier, as of this past summer Iidea is no longer a major supplier in the agave syrup business. The distributors using them as a supplier have quietly switched to newly formed blue agave companies for their supply. Madhava has always worked exclusively with Nekutli, the producer of agave nectar from the agave salmiana, a very different species of the agave.

However, there is no mention of our agave nectar from salmiana in the article, nor of the differences in the plant, the collection and production of our product. So, the author has blurred the line with his all encompassing attack on blue agave nectar, by his failure to present complete information on the subject of agave nectars. For what purpose was this article written? If it were to educate the public, I think it would include all the information available. With the errors and misstatements and half-truths, I don't think this article is about education, it is an all out shotgun attack.

I believe Mr. Bianchi, presented as the sole authority on agave nectar, was initially introduced to Iidea's blue agave syrup product on their entry to the market in the late 90's. At that time, Iidea was promoting a 90% fructose agave syrup. This is what I believe Mr. Bianchi is referring to. Unfortunately, he ignores the fact that this is not the agave sold on the market today, nor is it representative of Madhava's product. In fact Mr. Bianchi has never even acknowledged the existence of our agave nectar from the salmiana variety. So, all his comments are apparently based on his experience with Iidea's product, but I find ourselves caught in the blast.

In their zestful attack against the blue agave syrup he was introduced to initially, Mr.'s Bianchi and Nagel have also made inaccurate comments which reflect on agave nectar generally. As such, I take issue with several of their statements and claims and want to clarify some things as regards Madhava's Agave Nectar from agave salmiana.

Their discussion of the processing of agave nectar is in no way reflective of how Madhava's agave nectar is produced. There are three ways to convert complex sugars into a simple sugar sweetener such as agave syrup. It can be done thermally, chemically, or enzymatically as ours is. There are no chemicals whatsoever involved in the production of Madhava's agave nectar from agave salmiana, nor is it cooked. Our agave is subject only to low temperatures during the evaporation of excess water from the juice.

The author states "The principal constituent of the agave is starch, such as what is found in corn or rice."

This statement, which is the foundation of much of their argument comparing agave nectar to corn syrup, has no basis in scientific fact, THERE IS NO STARCH IN THE AGAVE.

How can the author and his source be so mistaken on this statement on which he bases his attack?

All plants store energy in one of two ways, as starches or fructans. All agave plants create fructans as their energy storing means.

So, agave plants have fructans, not starch. From Wikipedia: Inulins are a group of naturally occurring polysaccharides produced by many types of plants. They belong to a class of fibers know as fructans. Inulin is used by some plants as a means of storing energy and it typically found in roots or rhizomes. Most plants which synthesize and store inulin do not store other materials such as starch.

There is no starch in either species of agave, and agave nectar is not from starch as the author and Mr. Bianchi claim. They have tried very hard to propagandize the public with a false fact, either by design, or ignorance, for which there would be no excuse.

Such an error of fact certainly casts doubt on the validity of the rest of Nagel's article, as the lack of depth of his research has to be apparent to all. Really, he is just regurgitating the singular views of Mr. Bianchi.

I personally spoke with the author during his "research", as did at least one other in the industry. He chose not to include one word of the information given to him by us, which I will repeat below, and failed to make any distinction between Madhava's Nekutli agave nectar from salmiana and that from the blue agave plant. He only mentions blue agave. The plants differ, the locations differ, the methods and production differ greatly. The information we gave him did not fit his purpose and so was omitted in favor of a generalized attack.

Madhava's source is exclusively agave salmiana. If you haven't already reviewed our site at www.madhavasagave.com , you will find background information there. Briefly though, the native people supplying the juice collect it from the live plant, by hand, twice daily. There is no heat involved in the removal. The juice is immediately brought to the facility to remove the excess water as it will ferment rapidly if left standing. It is during the removal of the moisture that the only heat is applied. The juice is evaporated and moisture removed in a vacuum evaporator. The vacuum enables the moisture to be withdrawn at low temperatures. The temp is closely controlled. Subsequently, our agave is handled and packaged at room temperatures. No other heat is applied. And, rather than convert the complex sugars of the juice thermally, we use gentle enzymatic action. Just as a bee introduces an enzyme to flower nectar to make honey, we introduce an natural organic vegan enzyme for the same purpose. The technical term for the conversion of complex sugars into their simple sugar components is hydrolysis. Inulin is a fructan which is hydrolyzed into the simple sugars composing agave nectar, fructose and glucose. Honey is composed of the same simple sugars.

The blue agave plant is harvested and the blue agave nectar is produced by a completely different method. I will have to leave it to the blue agave nectar sellers to comment on the production themselves. While I know of it, I have not witnessed it as I have Nekutli's. Unlike the author, I won't comment publicly on something I cannot verify.

To clarify further on another claim, "Agave Nectar as a final product is mostly chemically refined fructose". As regards Madhava's agave nectar, there are no chemicals involved in our production whatsoever. The sugars in our agave nectar come from the breakdown of the inulin molecule through the introduction of the enzyme to break apart that molecule. It is in no way chemically refined, there are no chemicals involved in any part of the production or packaging process. Our agave nectar is refined only in as much as the excess moisture is removed from the juice of the plant.

"HFCS is made with GM enzymes". Bianchi's states "they (agave and corn syrup) are indeed made the same way" This is another false assertion as regards Madhava's agave nectar at least. Our agave nectar is certainly and clearly not made the same way as corn syrup. There is no starch in our agave. There are no chemicals, no refinement beyond the evaporation of water. And, there are no GMO's whatsoever. The agave salmiana has never been subject to this and the enzyme is a natural, non GM organic, vegan enzyme.

Other points regarding fructose apply to sugars in general and are a consumption, or overconsumption issue. Certainly consuming large amounts of sweeteners of any kind will be detrimental to one's health. Suggesting fructose could cause health issues when concentrated amounts are eaten is a statement which should really apply to the overconsumption issue. The information the author links to agave nectar is the result of megadose testing of pure clinical fructose. Not the same thing as normal daily use of agave nectar in the course of our meals.

The antisweetener advocates just have to admit that it is the overconsumption of sugars that is the problem. Used in moderation, sugars serve a purpose, to make other foods and beverages more palatable. Imagine a world without sweeteners if you can. Affinity for sweet taste is a human trait that most want to satisfy. For those who use sweeteners, there are limited choices available and many choose agave for its particular attributes. It is a good choice. Madhava Agave's neutral flavor suits the purpose. It is in fact low glycemic, organically certified and non allergenic. Many with diabetes and other special diets find it suitable for their use where other sweeteners are not. It's easy to use and you can use less.

And, we guarantee the purity of our product. Attached is a letter from the CEO of Nekutli stating this guarantee that Nekutli agave syrup is pure and unadulterated, from the natural juice of agave salmiana.

While it remains up to the individual to maintain balance in their diet and monitor their overall consumption of sweets, Nekutli/Madhava's Agave Nectar does have advantages over other sweeteners and that is why it has become so popular and received so much attention today."

Then some links to both pro/con agave stances:
http://www.living-foods.com/articles/agave.html

http://www.allaboutagave.com/agave-vs-liquid.php

http://thursdaysgirl.wordpress.com/2008/08/18/is-agave-nectar-good-or-bad-for-our-health/

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/foods/grains/gigl.html

Finally, I've attached a glycemic index list with agave in it.

This info should give anyone a clear enough view on agave to decide whether they'll incorporate it (hopefully with Paleo Treats) into their Paleo diet or not. Enjoy the reading!

Cheers,