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http://www.wellsphere.com/healthy-eating-article/madhava-s-craig-gerbore-responds-to-agave-nectar-controversy-here/584480

Madhava's Craig Gerbore Responds to Agave Nectar Controversy Here

For the past few weeks, I've had the pleasure of corresponding with
Madhava Agave Nectar's President, Craig Gerbore. Unfortunately, our
conversations came about because there are a number of articles out on
the 'net that are factually untrue. I contacted the company in order
to find out 1. if Madhava was crafting a response to the rumors, and
2. exactly what is true/untrue. I'm very glad I did because Mr.
Gerbore contacted me himself and provided me with a hefty bit of
information which clears up much of the mess.

The whole thing is a bit (ehem, pardon the pun), sticky. If I link to
the original, highly controversial and factually incorrect article
published at NaturalNews.com, I feel that I'd be promoting the
circulation of the errant piece. However, in order for you, my kind
and lovely readers, to truly understand how this discussion came
about, you should see the article that spawned this action. So, open
up a new window when you click on this link, so you can compare Mr.
Gerbore's response below with the original. It's eye-opening, to say
the least.

One last thing before I share Mr. Gerbore's response. As a journalist
and a professional editor who has worked for some top publications in
their fields, I'm pretty disgusted with the NaturalNews's editor for
even publishing such a patently one-sided story. Truly yellow
journalism at its smarmiest.

That said, here is Mr. Gerbore's response completely unedited by me:

Agave Nectar: Hold on now…
Response to Rami Nagel’s article
By Craig Gerbore, President of Madhava

In response, I must first point out that Mr. Nagel’s article is based
on the view of a sole individual, Russ Bianchi. I suppose we should
thank Mr. Bianchi for pointing out some issues that may have
contributed to Iidea’s (the initial manufacturer of blue agave nectar)
demise from the market, however I want to be clear, this is not about
Madhava or our agave nectar. Once a dominant supplier, as of this past
summer Iidea is no longer a major supplier in the agave syrup
business. The distributors using them as a supplier have quietly
switched to newly formed blue agave companies for their supply.
Madhava has always worked exclusively with Nekutli, the producer of
agave nectar from the agave salmiana, a very different species of the
agave.

However, there is no mention of our agave nectar from salmiana in the
article, nor of the differences in the plant, the collection and
production of our product. So, the author has blurred the line with
his all encompassing attack on blue agave nectar, by his failure to
present complete information on the subject of agave nectars. For what
purpose was this article written? If it were to educate the public, I
think it would include all the information available. With the errors
and misstatements and half-truths, I don’t think this article is about
education, it is an all out shotgun attack.

I believe Mr. Bianchi, presented as the sole authority on agave
nectar, was initially introduced to Iidea’s blue agave syrup product
on their entry to the market in the late 90’s. At that time, Iidea was
promoting a 90% fructose agave syrup. This is what I believe Mr.
Bianchi is referring to. Unfortunately, he ignores the fact that this
is not the agave sold on the market today, nor is it representative of
Madhava’s product. In fact Mr. Bianchi has never even acknowledged the
existence of our agave nectar from the salmiana variety. So, all his
comments are apparently based on his experience with Iidea’s product,
but I find ourselves caught in the blast.

In their zestful attack against the blue agave syrup he was introduced
to initially, Mr.’s Bianchi and Nagel have also made inaccurate
comments which reflect on agave nectar generally. As such, I take
issue with several of their statements and claims and want to clarify
some things as regards Madhava’s Agave Nectar from agave salmiana.

Their discussion of the processing of agave nectar is in no way
reflective of how Madhava’s agave nectar is produced. There are three
ways to convert complex sugars into a simple sugar sweetener such as
agave syrup. It can be done thermally, chemically, or enzymatically as
ours is. There are no chemicals whatsoever involved in the production
of Madhava’s agave nectar from agave salmiana, nor is it cooked. Our
agave is subject only to low temperatures during the evaporation of
excess water from the juice.

The author states “The principal constituent of the agave is starch,
such as what is found in corn or rice.”

This statement, which is the foundation of much of their argument
comparing agave nectar to corn syrup, has no basis in scientific fact,
THERE IS NO STARCH IN THE AGAVE.

How can the author and his source be so mistaken on this statement on
which he bases his attack?

All plants store energy in one of two ways, as starches or fructans.
All agave plants create fructans as their energy storing means.

So, agave plants have fructans, not starch. From Wikipedia: Inulins
are a group of naturally occurring polysaccharides produced by many
types of plants. They belong to a class of fibers know as fructans.
Inulin is used by some plants as a means of storing energy and it
typically found in roots or rhizomes. Most plants which synthesize and
store inulin do not store other materials such as starch.

There is no starch in either species of agave, and agave nectar is not
from starch as the author and Mr. Bianchi claim. They have tried very
hard to propagandize the public with a false fact, either by design,
or ignorance, for which there would be no excuse.

Such an error of fact certainly casts doubt on the validity of the
rest of Nagel’s article, as the lack of depth of his research has to
be apparent to all. Really, he is just regurgitating the singular
views of Mr. Bianchi.

I personally spoke with the author during his “research”, as did at
least one other in the industry. He chose not to include one word of
the information given to him by us, which I will repeat below, and
failed to make any distinction between Madhava’s Nekutli agave nectar
from salmiana and that from the blue agave plant. He only mentions
blue agave. The plants differ, the locations differ, the methods and
production differ greatly. The information we gave him did not fit his
purpose and so was omitted in favor of a generalized attack.

Madhava’s source is exclusively agave salmiana. If you haven’t already
reviewed our site at www.madhavasagave.com , you will find background
information there. Briefly though, the native people supplying the
juice collect it from the live plant, by hand, twice daily. There is
no heat involved in the removal. The juice is immediately brought to
the facility to remove the excess water as it will ferment rapidly if
left standing. It is during the removal of the moisture that the only
heat is applied. The juice is evaporated and moisture removed in a
vacuum evaporator. The vacuum enables the moisture to be withdrawn at
low temperatures. The temp is closely controlled. Subsequently, our
agave is handled and packaged at room temperatures. No other heat is
applied. And, rather than convert the complex sugars of the juice
thermally, we use gentle enzymatic action. Just as a bee introduces an
enzyme to flower nectar to make honey, we introduce an natural organic
vegan enzyme for the same purpose. The technical term for the
conversion of complex sugars into their simple sugar components is
hydrolysis. Inulin is a fructan which is hydrolyzed into the simple
sugars composing agave nectar, fructose and glucose. Honey is composed
of the same simple sugars.

The blue agave plant is harvested and the blue agave nectar is
produced by a completely different method. I will have to leave it to
the blue agave nectar sellers to comment on the production themselves.
While I know of it, I have not witnessed it as I have Nekutli’s.
Unlike the author, I won’t comment publicly on something I cannot
verify.

To clarify further on another claim, “Agave Nectar as a final product
is mostly chemically refined fructose”. As regards Madhava’s agave
nectar, there are no chemicals involved in our production whatsoever.
The sugars in our agave nectar come from the breakdown of the inulin
molecule through the introduction of the enzyme to break apart that
molecule. It is in no way chemically refined, there are no chemicals
involved in any part of the production or packaging process. Our agave
nectar is refined only in as much as the excess moisture is removed
from the juice of the plant.

“HFCS is made with GM enzymes”. Bianchi’s states “they (agave and corn
syrup) are indeed made the same way” This is another false assertion
as regards Madhava’s agave nectar at least. Our agave nectar is
certainly and clearly not made the same way as corn syrup. There is no
starch in our agave. There are no chemicals, no refinement beyond the
evaporation of water. And, there are no GMO’s whatsoever. The agave
salmiana has never been subject to this and the enzyme is a natural,
non GM organic, vegan enzyme.

Other points regarding fructose apply to sugars in general and are a
consumption, or overconsumption issue. Certainly consuming large
amounts of sweeteners of any kind will be detrimental to one’s health.
Suggesting fructose could cause health issues when concentrated
amounts are eaten is a statement which should really apply to the
overconsumption issue. The information the author links to agave
nectar is the result of megadose testing of pure clinical fructose.
Not the same thing as normal daily use of agave nectar in the course
of our meals.

The antisweetener advocates just have to admit that it is the
overconsumption of sugars that is the problem. Used in moderation,
sugars serve a purpose, to make other foods and beverages more
palatable. Imagine a world without sweeteners if you can. Affinity for
sweet taste is a human trait that most want to satisfy. For those who
use sweeteners, there are limited choices available and many choose
agave for its particular attributes. It is a good choice. Madhava
Agave’s neutral flavor suits the purpose. It is in fact low glycemic,
organically certified and non allergenic. Many with diabetes and other
special diets find it suitable for their use where other sweeteners
are not. It’s easy to use and you can use less.

And, we guarantee the purity of our product. Attached is a letter from
the CEO of Nekutli stating this guarantee that Nekutli agave syrup is
pure and unadulterated, from the natural juice of agave salmiana.
https://mail.google.com/mail/h/3f51mmr20qb8/?v=b&pv=tl&cs=b
While it remains up to the individual to maintain balance in their
diet and monitor their overall consumption of sweets,
Nekutli/Madhava’s Agave Nectar does have advantages over other
sweeteners and that is why it has become so popular and
received so much attention today.

I think the information I have brought to light here clearly
contradicts the claims contained in Rami Nagel’s article. Thank you
for your consideration.

I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in the clarification
of this issue because I regularly use agave nectar, especially the
Madhava brand. It's good to know a company president who not only
stands behind his product, but who has the class to respond directly
to a question from a customer.

Your thoughts?


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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave_nectar

http://www.healthynewage.com/blog/agave-nectar-sweetener/
http://www.rawguru.com/store/raw-food/organic-raw-agave-nectar-16-oz.html
http://www.organicagavesyrup.com/
http://www.living-foods.com/articles/agave.html