Agave:
Agave nectar is obtained from the blue agave plant widely grown in desert regions such as hot and arid regions found in Mexico. The agave plant is a medium-size succulent plant with green or grayish spiky leaves that make it look like aloe vera or cactus. The Honey water, which is found at the core of this plant, is extracted then filtered, heated and processed to produce thicker agave syrup.
Agave nectar has a dark amber color with light consistency. It
is a natural sweetener which is a good substitute for sugar and other
artificial, non-nutritive sweeteners. Its glycemic index is significantly lower
than white sugar which makes it a healthy alternative to many processed and
natural sweeteners like white granulated sugar, brown sugar, date sugar, dehydrated
cane juice, maple sugar crystals etc. Furthermore, its taste is comparable to
honey which makes it an ideal option for people who are vegetarians so don't
like to eat honey or don?t like the taste of honey.
Uses:
- Agave syrup is used as a
topping for fruit salads, pancakes or ice creams and in baked recipes. It
is high in calories so may cause weight gain or tooth decay if consumed in
large amounts.
- Agave plant sap is processed
to make tequila.
- Agave syrup is used as a
substitute for sugar in various products like candy, drinks, and sauces
Sugar:
Sugar is an umbrella term which generally refers to
sweet-flavored substances. Here, we are talking about table sugar which is also
known as white or granulated sugar and is the most commonly used sugar, widely
used in tea, coffee and desserts. It is generally obtained from sugarcane or
sugar beet.
Sugars are categorized as monosaccharide, disaccharides and
polysaccharides. The table sugar is a disaccharide, made of fructose and
glucose, which is also known as sucrose.
The sugar production involves a long process which comprises the
following basic steps:
- First juice is extracted from
sugarcane
- Then the juice is purified
with lime and heat
- It is further processed which
produces sugar crystals and molasses.
- Sugar crystals are separated
from molasses by high-speed centrifugal machines.
- Finally, the sugar crystals
are bleached and refined to produce the table sugar.
Based on the above information, some of the key differences
between agave and sugar are as follows:
Agave Syrup |
Table Sugar |
It is obtained from
the blue agave plant, native to Mexico. |
It is obtained from
sugarcane and beets. |
It is made of two
types of sugars: fructose (60?80%) and glucose (20-40%). |
It also has two
types of sugars but with different proportion: half fructose and half glucose
(fructose 50% and glucose 50%). |
It has low glycemic
index: 10-19 |
It has high
glycemic index: more than 50 |
Calcium: 72 mg per
100 g |
1 mg per 100g |
Vitamin C: 1 mg per
100 g |
Does not contain
Vitamin C |
Dietary fiber
present |
Dietary fibers not
found |
It contains Sodium. |
It does not contain
sodium. |
It has runny to
viscous texture, less viscous than honey. So, dissolves easily in cold
drinks. |
It is produced as
solid granule crystals. So it does not dissolve easily in cold drinks,
suitable for hot beverages like tea, coffee. |
It is native to
Mexico and South Africa. |
It is native to
India. |
It is a light to
dark amber in color. |
It is white or
brown in color depending on the type and level of processing. |
It has slightly
more calories than sugar, but sweeter than sugar so less quantity can be
used.Around 21 calories per teaspoon of agave syrup. |
It has fewer
calories than agave nectar. Around 16 calories per teaspoon of sugar. |
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