What are polyphenols?
Our olive oils are not just delicious. They are in a league of their own. In fact, our oils are medicinal, based on the above-average levels of polyphenols.
Polyphenols are natural compounds found in olive oil that come directly from the olive tree. Think of them as the tree’s defence system, protecting it from threats like diseases, pests, harmful microbes, extreme heat, and drought. In simple terms, they are like tiny soldiers keeping the olive tree and its olives healthy and strong. When we extract oil from these olives, these compounds can end up in your olive oil. That is how you can benefit from their power too. They act as antioxidants, helping to protect your body in a similar way. The cool thing is that extra virgin olive oil contains unique polyphenols that you cannot find in any other food!
The level of polyphenols is a sign of the quality of an olive oil. As a natural preservative, polyphenols also extend the oil’s shelf life. The more polyphenols, the higher the quality and the longer the quality is preserved. But it is an art to get high levels of polyphenols in your olive oil - and it is almost impossible to get ultra-high levels of these compounds. The amount of polyphenols in olive oil (expressed in milligram per kilogram (mg/kg)) depends on many factors:
First, it depends on the type of olive(s). Just like grapes, there are many different kinds of olives, and some naturally have more polyphenols than others.
Second, the climate and the soil play a big role. Trees that grow in hot, dry places with tough soil often make olives with more polyphenols. It is like the tree has to work harder to survive, so it builds up more of its natural defences.
Third, the farmer has to let the tree defend itself. That means using as few chemicals as possible to fight diseases, so the tree can do it on its own and make more polyphenols in the process.
Finally, timing and temperature are everything. To keep those polyphenols in the oil, the olives need to be picked manually and early in the season. After that, they must be pressed quickly, within just a few hours. The producer has to control the temperature and handle everything very carefully during production and storage.
Polyphenols are extremely delicate and can easily disappear if the olives are harvested too late, if mistakes are made during production, or if the oil is not stored properly by distributors or retailers. That is why ultra-high polyphenol olive oil is so rare. Producing it requires a lot of care, skill, vision, and perfect timing.
In today’s food industry, many producers focus on quantity over quality, making large volumes of cheap olive oil with very little care for its health benefits. This type of olive oil, constituting 95% of olive oil in the market, is easier to produce and often more profitable, but it lacks the powerful polyphenols that make extra virgin olive oil truly healthy.
Most supermarket olive oils, even those labelled "extra virgin", contain only about 50 mg/kg of polyphenols. That is a very low amount, suggesting poor quality and a short shelf life. Specialty shops may offer better options, with some oils reaching up to 250 mg/kg, but even then, quality depends on how well the oil has been stored. Tip: never buy olive oil that is stored in transparent bottles or tanks.
If you are lucky, you might come across an olive oil with over 500 mg/kg of polyphenols. That is a decent number. But olive oil with over 1,000 mg/kg? That is what we call medicinal-grade olive oil. This is very rare.
Polyphenols, the powerful antioxidants abundantly found in our olive oils, help protect and preserve your body in several ways. One of their key roles is fighting inflammation and neutralizing harmful molecules known as free radicals. Free radicals are unstable compounds that can build up in your body due to things like air pollution, smoking, ultra-processed food, and stress. When there are too many of them, they damage your cells and tissues. This is called oxidative stress. Oxidative stress has been linked to many (chronic) diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart diseases, Alzheimer, and certain types of cancer. Oxidative stress also speeds up the aging process, not just deep inside your body, where it affects how cells function, but also on the outside, where it shows up as wrinkles and sagging skin. That is where polyphenols come in. They help neutralize free radicals, reduce inflammation, and protect cells from damage. This not only supports your long-term health but also contributes to healthier aging.
To truly enjoy the protective power of polyphenols, it is important to choose the right kind of olive oil and integrate olive oil into your daily routine. As you now understand, not all olive oils are created equal, with most options containing zero or very low levels of polyphenols. To really benefit from the health benefits, you need olive oil with ultra-high polyphenol levels, like the ones we sell. Two spoons of our ultra-high polyphenol olive oils per day, drizzled over your salad, stirred into your soup, or enjoyed as a health shot, is a simple habit with powerful, lasting effects on your health.