Agave
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
hey jessica,
from a chemistry stand point, agave syrups can be used as an invert sugar for ganaches. the basic composition of agave is made up of fructose and glucose. both of which have a greater capacity than sucrose to bind and stabilize water. your typical confectionery invert (i.e. trimoline, nuvoline etc..) is composed of dextrose and fructose. typically in a 50/50 split. on the surface, i would say that its quite possible that invert sugars might be slightly more effective at stabilizing water as dextrose is more effective than glucose in this regard. the one thing to consider when using these ingredients is what is their role in the recipe. from a flavor standpoint, both inverts and agave (due to the presence of fructose) are roughly 30% sweeter than sucrose. this naturally adds a sweetness to the finished product. they also affect the texture of ganache, sometimes making it creamier, sometimes softer or gummier....depending on the types of sugars we use. however the real importance of adding sugars, of any sort, to ganache is their abilities to bind and stabilize water. this is how we are able to modify the shelf life of ganaches....the control and stabilization of water. all sugars, inverts, fruit sugars, alcohol sugars, do this to different capacities. as we write our ganache recipes, we must keep in mind the total amount of water in the recipe so that we know how much and of what kind of sugars to add to create the desired result. this is especially important if you are looking to convert recipes with invert into agave. typically, commercial inverts are 82% dry (sugar) and 18% wet (water). in contrast agave syrups have about 75% dry and 25% wet (there does seem to be some differences in brands, so probably best to check with specific manufacturers for more precise info). this extra water will actually help to reduce shelf life, so it must be checked through a reduction in water from the other ingredients in the recipe (i.e. cream, butter, puree, alcohol etc...)
from standpoint of 'health' or ' natural', there does seem to be some controversy around agave these days. agave is an industrial sugar product that seems to have been around only since the 90's. the two main methods of production are by boiling the ball the at the base of the agave plant (the source of the carbohydrates) or by enzymatic hydrolysis (the same method that commercial inverts are produced). in the case of the boiling of the carbohydrates (to convert them to sugars), the product is not 'raw'. on the other hand, the hydrolysis is not exactly natural. the real controversy comes up when you look at the chemical composition of agave. agave is very high in fructose sugar. it can range anywhere from 70-90%. this is even higher than high fructose corn syrups. there is an increasing amount of studies linking high fructose levels with obesity (having to do with the way the sugar is absorbed and stored in the body).
so is agave exactly natural...honestly, i don't know. im not advocating for or against its usage in confections. for diabetics, this is clearly a better option than many other sugars out there. from the stand point of chemistry its totally usable. i would advise checking with different manufacturers and try to get as much info as you can. there are companies that do make raw versions and there are differences in water and sugar contents. in the end, the percentages we are using are quite small when compared to other food manufacturers. a ganache bonbon is not exactly a can of soda.
hope this helps!
damion