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What is Agave Nectar? Where does Agave Nectar Come From? Nekutli Agave Nectar is a 100% organic fructose sweetener extracted from the Agave plant. Traditionally, the indigenous people of Mexico gathered the sweet juice, aguamiel, from various species of Agave. They used it as a sweetener and to prepare special celebratory beverages. In the Nahuatl language, the language of the Aztecs, necutli means "the sacred juice of the Agave." Examination of this plant reveals a high level of polyfructose or inulin. A gentle enzymatic process has been developed which transforms the polyfructose into a simple fructose and dextrose syrup, a pure natural sweetener called Agave nectar or Agave syrup. We have identified a supplier in Mexico that initiated commercial scale production of this sweetener in 2002. This group is comprised of member agricultural cooperatives and their manufacturing entity: Nekutli S.A. de C.V. Their associated member organizations represent thousands of farmers and operate throughout the Republic of Mexico. Production volumes are guaranteed. Nekutli Agave Nectar has the following characteristics: 1) Nekutli Agave Nectar is high in fructose. It is sweeter than refined sugar (approximately 1.4 times sweeter). Fructose does not stimulate digestive insulin secretion as do other sugars. It is less disturbing to the glycemic index. In common parlance, it does not create a "sugar rush." 2) Nekutli Agave Nectar is produced in three different grades varying in flavor and color: light, amber and dark. The light grade of Agave Nectar is flavor neutral, enhancing the natural flavors of coffee, tea, fruit beverages, baked goods, fresh fruits, fruit smoothies & protein drinks, salad dressings, jams and jellies, ice cream, yoghurts, and various prepared foods, without altering their flavor. This is in marked contrast with bee honey, malt barley syrup, and certain other natural sugar substitutes that do alter the flavor of the products they sweeten. The amber and dark grades of Nekutli offer the delicate flavor of Agave with increasing intensity. The amber grade is much like honey and delicious in tea, suitable to sweeten a wide variety of foods, dry and hot cereals, pancakes, waffles, baked goods, and sauces. Heavier sauces such as BBQ, spaghetti, stews and meat glazes may be enhanced by the dark grade of Nekutli which delivers the rich and complex flavors distinctive to Agave. 3) Nekutli Agave Nectar will not crystallize. It is high in purity and stable in composition. It is easy to store as it has a long shelf life, approximately two years. Minimum one year. 4) Because of its light viscosity, Nekutli Agave Nectar is easy to handle in an industrial setting and pours easily as a table-top sweetener. It will never harden in the bottle. Nekutli Agave Nectar is highly soluble and dissolves readily in cold beverages such as lemonade or iced tea. Its light viscosity and solubility also make it ideal to sweeten cold cereals. 5) Nekutli Agave Nectar is a moisture retainer. In bread and baked goods, it enhances product freshness due to its hygroscopic properties, which act as humidifying agents, thereby increasing the shelf life of such products. 6) Nekutli Agave Nectar is certified organic by BioAgriCert s.r.l., an agency accredited by the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) and the European Community. View the organic certification online or download a printable pdf. 7) Nekutli Agave Nectar is KOSHER certified by:
8) Total Carbohydrate Grams: One tablespoon of Nekutli Agave Nectar weighs 21 grams. Based on the fact that Nekutli contains on the average 77% solids, one tablespoon contains 16 grams total carbohydrates (21 grams x 77% = 16 grams). One teaspoon contains 5.33 grams. 9) Calories per Serving: One tablespoon of Nekutli Agave Nectar contains 60 calories. One teaspoon contains 20 calories. (Note: One tablespoon contains 16 grams of total carbohydrates. One gram of carbohydrate provides 4 calories. Therefore, 16 grams of total carbohydrate contains 64 calories, but a few of these calories are not digestible.) 10) Glycemic Index: This concept can be important from a metabolic standpoint, especially to diabetics, along with athletes and grossly overweight individuals. The index is an indicator as to how much blood sugar increases in 2-3 hours after specific food consumption. Most if not all carbohydrates are normally metabolized into the simple carbohydrate glucose, which in the glycemic index concept is arbitrarily assigned a value of 100. As a result, the higher a glycemic index food number is, the faster it raises your blood sugar level. Foods or ingredients with glycemic index numbers close to or above 100 present some significant health issues to diabetics, and in general, sweeteners of all kinds should be avoided by diabetics. Nonetheless, for those diabetics who choose to consume certain amounts of carbohydrates, Nekutli, it should be noted, has a lower glycemic index than honey. Nekutli was found to have a glycemic index of approximately 34 - 38. In contrast, honey has a reported glycemic index of 58, due to its higher ratio of glucose to fructose. Nekutli Information and Analysis:
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