KEY INTERVIEW: Agave as a High Potency Alternative to Sugar

29 Mar 2016 --- Since its inception in 2007, Mexico based Best Ground has traded in organic products, mainly agave syrup creating business partnerships with other factories. In 2010 the company opened its first factory, and Bioagaves de la Costa was born. Marketing co-ordinator Yara Coronado (pictured) and Chief of Quality, Salvador Cueva spoke with FoodIngredientsFirst about the trend for high potency sugar alternatives.

“The food industry is tackling demand for healthier products by substituting sugars and carbohydrates for healthier alternatives, such as high potency sweeteners,” she explains. “It is also eliminating additives such as preservatives and colorants; using natural ingredients as part of the final formulation; and looking to eliminate ingredients that contribute gluten to the final product. 

Agave syrup has the advantage of a low glycemic index sweetener, being 1.3 times sweeter than sugar, which helps to sweeten with a lower amount of carbohydrates compared with cane sugar. Another of Best Ground’s flagship products is agave inulin, a prebiotic soluble fiber, which helps improve gut health by promoting the growth of the beneficial bacteria. 

“We developed new sweetener alternatives that are also healthier,” says Ms. Coronado. “We are trying to diversify to give new healthy alternatives to the market. These new products are developed from fruits, flowers and different sources of starch. Some of our new product developments are: organic tapioca syrup, agavioca (tapioca and agave syrup) syrup, pineapple syrup, organic rice syrup, sweet potato syrup and hibiscus syrup.”

Flavored syrups are becoming more popular due to the low GI status of agave. Flavors in development include maple, vanilla, chocolate and berries. While the syrups are still in development, Ms. Coronado says that there has been a lot of interest, particularly due to the fact that flavored syrups are often on a maple syrup base that does not have a low GI.

“This is a product that has tremendous potential, due to its low GI status,” she says. “Consumers can use it as an alternative to table sugar and it is very suitable for applications such as toppings and desserts.”

There are often reports that consumers do not get the fiber they need in their diet and Ms. Coronado highlights Best Ground’s Agave Inulin product as an example of how people can use agave as a supplement to increase their fiber intake. “The prebiotic soluble fiber that agave inulin provides is good for consumers and also good for companies that want to increase the fiber in their products by adding a product that is not too sweet.”

Best Ground’s client base is global, with good established markets in the US and in Europe, where in some areas, popularity of agave is growing, particularly in Germany, says Ms. Coronado. The company entered the Asian market in 2011 and is seeing growth there as well, she says. The growth of many European markets is largely due to an increase in interest in organic products, as well as the strong trend towards healthy eating.

“What agave gives is nutrients, as well as lower calories,” says Ms, Coronado. “Consumers are also looking for increased quality of nutrients in what they are eating. They want better sources of healthy protein and carbohydrates as well.”

The growth in popularity of organic products is a global trend, Ms. Coronado said. “Even in South America, organic is growing in popularity when they were not interested in organic previously. We believe that they will grow, particularly in Brazil, Peru and Colombia.”

In terms of the higher cost of organic products, Yara Coronado believes that the cost will gradually lower, particularly as the organic process of growing agave is much the same as the non-organic process. It is not that easy to get the organic version of the ingredients, it is a long process to get the certification and it has to be constantly monitored. 

“It is not much more expensive to grow organic agave, as conventional growing doesn’t require too many pesticides either,” she explains. “What can add costs is the factory processing and all the rigorous controls that are required. We need to avoid cross-contamination as well. And, of course, people are willing to pay extra for organic produce.”

Nowadays everyone is interested in lowering their sugar intake but there are areas where Ms. Coronado thinks that a sugar alternative won’t ever take off. In Central American countries that produce cane sugar, the product is very cheap and abundant. Of course, trying to reproduce that good sugar taste is also difficult so Ms. Coronado thinks that sugar will still be popular for a long time.

There are, however, more strings to Best Ground’s bow. It is expanding into the supply of other ingredients that are native to Mexico. Teff seeds and chia seeds, which are gaining in popularity as ingredients that have a multitude of health benefits are both ingredients that Best Ground is breaking into. They are both available in organic varieties and hailed as a good source of essential omega 3 fatty acids. Teff, which is the lesser known of the two, is also used as a gluten substitute and more people are becoming aware of its advantages.

“Finally, as well as our agave, seed and honey production, we are a company that supplies ingredients that add health and functionality to the final product. This year we are working towards FSSC22000, the leading global certification scheme, in order to offer our clients the best quality product,” says Salvador Cueva.

“In the future, we see cheaper high potency sweeteners, approval of new sugar substitutes, new sources of protein, improvement in the tolerance of soluble fibers and special awareness of the people of what they’re eating, which makes them more selective in the process of food selection,” Cueva concludes. 

By Kelly Worgan