I never knew what cactus honey powder is until some people started asking about its benefits. A search for this white powder that looks like icing sugar on the World Wide Web reveals all.
Many seem to think that it is a variety of honey from cactus flowers that has been processed into a powder form for convenience of use: simply scoop it out and mix it with your coffee and tea as if using sugar or cream. This honey powder is not sold here in Singapore, but many suppliers of honey products on the World Wide Web seem to have this product. Claimed to be all natural, this powdered honey is marketed as all natural, healthy to eat and an excellent sugar replacement suitable for diabetics. And it positions itself as a brilliant ingredient for baking or sprinkling on cereal, pancakes, and waffles. However, I had all these questions in my mind: How can it be a product of bees when even the lightest colored honey cannot be colorless or white? And even if it is really honey, what is the process involved in turning liquid honey into powder? Are there any health benefits compromised as a result of the processing?
Naturally leading consumers to think that it is a variety of honey, the name “cactus honey” is a misnomer. Actually, cactus honey powder does not come from bees. It is made from the juice of a cactus plant native to Mexico called Agave. Like maple syrup and cane sugar; its juice after filtering is heated to remove excess water. The liquid form is probably much better known: agave syrup, or agave sweetener, which began appearing on health food shelves in the early 2000s. This plant-based sweetener is about 90% fructose, the natural sweetener found in most fruits. And more viscous than honey, agave syrup is not as aggressive as table sugar in raising our body’s blood sugar level due to its low glycemic index.