[3] The stalk is cut off before it fully grows, creating a hole in the center of the plant that fills with a liquid called aguamiel.
The liquid is then heated, breaking down its complex components into fructose, glucose, and sucrose,[1] and preventing it from fermenting into pulque.
In slightly greater detail, the polyfructose extract obtained from the mashed agave pulp is hydrolyzed via a chemical process patented in 1998, with inulin enzymes (obtained from Aspergillus niger), to produce a hydrolyzed fructose extract.
[1] Fructose molecules in A. tequilana syrup chain together to create fructans and fructooligosaccharides, which have sweetening effects.
Because it comes from a plant, it is widely utilized as an alternative to honey for those following a vegan lifestyle,[8] and is often added to some breakfast cereals as a binding agent.
Light agave syrup has a mild and almost neutral flavor, and is therefore sometimes used in delicate-tasting dishes and beverages.
Both amber and dark agave syrups are sometimes used "straight out of the bottle" as a topping for pancakes, waffles, and French toast.