What 742 mg/kg actually does

Polyphenols are the olive tree's own defence chemistry — compounds it makes to protect its fruit from sun, pests and stress. In the oil, the ones that matter are hydroxytyrosol, oleuropein derivatives, tyrosol and oleocanthal. They are antioxidants: molecules that neutralise free radicals before those radicals can damage the fats in your blood.

The proven part

LDL cholesterol becomes dangerous when it is oxidised — that is what damages artery walls. In the EUROLIVE study, run across European populations, olive polyphenols were shown to reduce oxidative damage to blood lipids, and the effect was dose-dependent: more phenols, more protection. This evidence is why the EU authorised a formal health claim, permitted only for oils that carry at least 5mg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives per 20g of oil.

The emerging part

Oleocanthal — the compound behind the peppery catch at the back of your throat — has been shown to inhibit the same inflammatory enzymes (COX-1 and COX-2) targeted by ibuprofen. Research into its role in long-term heart and brain health is ongoing. We find it promising; we won't put it on a label until regulators do.

Why most oil has so little

Phenol content is set by four choices: harvesting green rather than ripe, pressing within hours rather than days, extracting cold, and protecting the oil from light and air. Each one costs money or yield, which is why commodity oil skips them — and why we print our number, our harvest date and our batch on everything we sell.

Why ours runs high

We make all four of those choices, and the grove itself adds one more. Mediterranean breezes stress the olive trees just enough to force high polyphenol production. Salt air off the Tyrrhenian, hard sun and the coastal wind that runs up from the plain all push the tree to defend its fruit, and that defence chemistry is what ends up in the bottle. Add early-October Rotondella picked green and milled within six hours, and you arrive at 742 mg/kg.

Olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress. The beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 20g of olive oil. Persano is a food, not a medicine, and is not intended to treat or prevent any disease. If you have a medical condition, speak with your doctor.