Agave tequilana Through the 1990s, diseases spread, particularly "Fusarium" fungi and "Erwinia" bacteria, exacerbated by the low genetic diversity of the agave plants. Other problems include the agave weevil, "Scyphophorus acupunctatus", and a fungus, "Thielaviopsis paradoxa". According to a 2004 study, additional pathogens, "Erwinia carotovora", "Enterobacter agglomerans", "Pseudomonas mendocina", and "Serratia" spp. are responsible for continued rot. The homoisoflavanones 5,7-dihydroxy-3-(4-methoxybenzyl)-chroman-4-one, 7-hydroxy-3-(4-hydroxybenzyl)-chroman-4-one and 4’-demethyl-3,9-dihydro-punctatin can be isolated from "A. tequilana". Agave tequilana Agave tequilana, commonly called blue agave () or tequila agave, is an agave plant that is an important economic product of Jalisco, Mexico, due to its role as the base ingredient
Agave nectar Agave nectar Agave nectar (more accurately, agave syrup) is a sweetener commercially produced from several species of agave, including "Agave tequilana" (blue agave) and "Agave salmiana". Agave syrup contains fructose as a carbohydrate providing sweetening properties. To produce agave syrup from the "Agave americana" and "A. tequilana" plants, the leaves are cut off the plant after it has been growing for seven to fourteen years. The juice is then extracted from the core of the agave, called the "piña". The juice is filtered, then heated to break the complex components (the polysaccharides) into simple sugars. The main polysaccharide is called