What is a health claim?
Health claims on labels are indications regulated by EU Reg. 432/2012, which highlight the beneficial effect produced by a substance (in the case of oil, polyphenols) naturally present in a food.
One in particular is exclusive to EVO Oil
While some claims are found on other products, the Polyphenol claim is found only on EVO oil, and it reads:
“Olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress. The beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 20 g of olive oil”The polyphenol claim is reserved exclusively for olive oils, and the oil that carries it on its label must, at the time of bottling, have a fairly high quantity of biophenols.
Our
AURUM Organic Denocciolato Extra Virgin Olive Oil meets this characteristic perfectly, and this year so does our IGP Olio Lucano.
The Polyphenols in Our AURUM: A High-Quality Oil, a Traceable Product
Aurum, Frantoio Pace's organic denocciolato extra virgin olive oil, contains 612 mg/kg of Polyphenols (biophenols) at the time of bottling, meaning:
- 12.24 mg of hydroxytyrosol per 20 g of olive oil.
For an oil to carry the polyphenol claim on its label, it must contain at least
- 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol per 20 g of olive oil.
Our
AURUM therefore contains 2.5 times the minimum amount of polyphenols needed to have a beneficial effect on protecting blood lipids from oxidative stress.Polyphenols are hydrophilic substances that are very difficult to preserve during oil processing. Their presence in the oil depends on the origin of the olive cultivar and on agronomic and technological practices. This means that to obtain an extra virgin oil of
High Quality, understood as richness in polyphenols, olives must be harvested early, processed promptly, and cold-pressed to preserve a content of bioactive phenolic substances sufficient to qualify for the claim. Only careful, thorough control of the entire supply chain makes this important result achievable.
Always look on the label for the health indication about polyphenols, which lets you tell a High-Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil apart from an ordinary olive oil. 
