AGAVE-SYRUP

Bulk Agave Syrup

The Tierra Group is able to service customers around the world by maintaining sales offices in both the United States and Mexico. This allows us to continue our high quality of customer service and have a real-time presence where our agave products are actually produced.

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Bluava® Agave Syrup (Nectar) is obtained from the Blue Agave plant Tequilana Weber by physical extraction, hydrolysis and purification of the naturally occurring fructans in the agave sap. Agave Syrup a premium sweetener, approximately 1.5 times sweeter than table sugar, and is primarily used as a low glycemic, low calorie sweetener with a variety of food applications.

Bluava® Agave Syrup is a good overall substitute for higher glycemic-inducing granulated sugars, liquid sugars, and can be used in more applications than artificial sweeteners for a variety of reasons. Agave Syrup has functional properties similar to many sugars while also being a natural sweetener with a lower glycemic index (GI). This makes it a healthier alternative for many food applications.

Agave syrup is made by extracting and filtering the sap from the pina, then heating the sap to break down the inulin (a storage carbohydrate in the pina nectar) into a high fructose-containing liquid that results in a syrup that is slightly thinner than honey. Agave syrups may be heated for shorter or long times, resulting in lighter or darker syrups. The darker syrups are filtered less, and the solids left in the syrup make for a stronger flavored syrup comparable to maple syrup.

What is Agave?

The Agave (uh-gah-vay) plant has long been cultivated in hilly, semi-arid, fertile volcanic soils of Mexico. The agave plants are large plants that resemble cacti or yuccas in both form and habitat, but they are succulents related to the lily. The plant’s fleshy, spiky leaves cover a pineapple-shaped heart called a “pina”, which contains a sweet sticky juice known in Mexico as aguamiel, or “honey water”. Ancient Mexicans considered the plant to be sacred. They believed the liquid or nectar from this plant purified the body and soul. The Tierra Group only produces its premium agave products using the blue agave Tequilana Weber.

Agave syrup advantages

Agave syrup is a healthier alternative for many purposes, including but not limited to:

Weight control: As 67% of the US adult population is overweight, Agave syrup’s low GI makes it suitable for consumers practicing low-carb or slow absorbing-carb diets for a variety of weight loss/management programs.

Blood sugar control: Blood sugar control and progression towards insulin resistance are becoming increasingly important for disease prevention and control. Individuals wishing to control blood sugar closely monitor the GI of the foods they consume. Agave syrup has similar calories as other nutritive sweeteners, so calories must be taken into consideration, and responses to sweeteners vary from one individual to the next. However, agave syrup has a lower glycemic index than other refined sugars, so it gives slower rise to blood sugar. So, while agave syrup is not without calories, it is a suitable substitute for sugar to broaden dietary options for those wishing to help control blood sugar.

Vegan diets: Sugars made from cane sugar, such as evaporated cane juice, granulated cane sugar, brown sugar and cane molasses are refined using activated bone char from animals. As such, these sugars are NOT suitable for vegan diets. Honey also utilizes bees for its production and is also not suitable for vegan diets. Bluava Agave Syrup is certified Vegan.

Granulated and liquid sugar substitution: Agave syrup is about 40% sweeter than brown or granulated sugars, so less is used in food applications to provide similar sweetening. While it likely will take some slight recipe adjustments to substitute agave syrup for granulated sugars, it is much easier to formulate foods using agave than an artificial sweetener to substitute for sugar. Artificial sweeteners provide sweetness but satisfy only few of the required functional properties of real sugars. Agave provides the same variety of functions (including browning, moisture retention, humectancy, freeze/thaw stability, and food preservation) as refined sugars. Agave syrup is most easily used to substitute for liquid sugars, as it is already in liquid form and has similar solids content as liquid sugars. Due to its lower GI, it can be used as a healthy alternative for higher glycemic liquid sugars, such as corn syrup, honey, brown rice syrup, and maple syrup.

Sweetening benefits of Agave Syrup

When comparing various types of sweeteners, there are many aspects to consider. It’s not just about which has the lowest calories; sweetness levels and flavor profiles are equally important as is the Glycemic index. We have compiled a list of some of the most popular sweeteners and their comparisons with organic agave syrup.

Vs. Corn Syrup

Corn syrup has a glycemic index similar to white table sugar, but as a high glucose-containing syrup, it is only about 65% as sweet as white table sugar. Corn syrup is typically used in foods because it reduces crystallization and adds softening. Agave syrup also has this humectants property, but it is over twice as sweet as corn syrup and has less than half the glycemic response.

Vs. Honey

Agave syrup, particularly lighter varieties, have more neutral flavor profiles than honey, making them more easily incorporated into flavor systems. Further, unlike honey, agave syrup has no association with animals, so it is completely vegan-friendly. Agave syrup also has a lower GI than honey. Agave syrup has significantly less glucose than honey, so agave syrup will not crystallize during storage, and the syrup has a lower viscosity than honey making it easier to use than honey.

Vs. Maple Syrup

Pure maple syrup has a glycemic index of 54, which is somewhat lower than granulated sugar, but significantly higher than agave syrup. Maple syrup, which has a sweetening power that is similar to agave syrup, is almost twice that of granulated sugar, but often has a metallic aftertaste at higher use levels and costs as much as twice agave syrup, making it unattractive for regular food ingredient use.

Vs. Brown Rice Syrup

Brown rice syrup is a liquid sweetener often used in cereal bars and natural food recipes. Though it is said to have a low glycemic index, it is not recommended for diabetics, since its sweetness comes from maltose, which is known to cause spikes in blood sugar. While the caloric count of brown rice syrup is like agave syrup, agave is close to three times as sweet as brown rice syrup, so one can use much less agave to achieve the same level of sweetness. Agave syrup also has greater humectants properties than brown rice syrup, so addition can add greater softness over the bar’s shelf life. In some instances, combinations of brown rice syrup and agave may be used to provide functional and cost synergy for food product development.

Retail Bottles and Private Labeling

We offer both bottling and private labeling options.  The MOQs for both will be higher than our listed quantities.  Please contact us to discuss your retail bottling or private labeling needs..

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