Aristoleo High Phenolic Olive Oils & Table Olives Awards is the international competition that measures the beneficial ingredients (phenols) found in olive oils and table olives. In 2024, the 9th edition of the competition was held in Toronto, Canada.
The beneficial ingredients measured are called phenols, with the main ones in olive oils being oleocanthal, oleacein and their derivatives, while in table olives the main ones are hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol and their derivatives.
These phenols are powerful micronutrients, with excellent pharmacological action, that belong to natural antioxidants, have significant biological activity and have been attributed anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cardioprotective and neuroprotective properties.
The beneficial effect of polyphenols is officially recognized in the European Regulation 432/2012 that is in force, where these ingredients, when contained in a minimum concentration (limit 250 mg/kg), enable the olive products that contain them to acquire a Health Claim, with clear indication of health protective properties.
The international competition ARISTOLEO High Phenolic Olive Oil and Table Olives Awards 2024 is based on the measurement of the total amount of phenolic compounds as measured by the NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) method, as well as the organoleptic analysis by a specialized laboratory for this purpose, to make sure that no defects are present.
The results were announced on June 18, 2024 and showed that the organic olive oils and table olives by Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms are among the top worldwide in terms of phenolic content and for that they ranked very high in the competition, collecting 8 Double Gold and 1 Gold awards. In detail, the olive oils and table olives with their corresponding concentrations of phenols are:
Olive Oils
FYLLIKON First Harvest - Double Gold
HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD - 2000 mg/kg
PLUS HEALTH GREEN EVOO - Double Gold
HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD - 1688 mg/kg
AGOURELAIO Early Harvest - Double Gold
HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD - 1563 mg/kg
PLUS HEALTH BLUE EVOO - Double Gold
HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD - 1307 mg/kg
ARMONIA Monovarietal - Gold
HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD - 1180 mg/kg
Table olives
PLUS HEALTH KALAMATA OLIVES - Double Gold
HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD - 2420 mg/kg
VALSAMIKES Olives - Double Gold
HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD - 2210 mg/kg
TELIES Olives - Double Gold
HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD - 2180 mg/kg
PLUS HEALTH GREEN OLIVES - Double Gold
HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD - 2090 mg/kg
It is worth noting that the olives "Plus Health Kalamata Olives" set a new record for phenol concentration for 2024, with 2.420 mg/kg.
These measurements are 640% higher than the average of commercial olive samples (378 mg/kg) analyzed from 2005 to date, based on a study carried out at the University of Athens and published in J. Agric. Food Chem. 2010,58, 46–50.
At the same time, the organic olive oils by Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms exceeded by 800% the limit of 250 mg/kg, set by the European regulation 432 / 2012 and taken into account by the European Food Safety Authority, when in 2012 recognized the positive effect of polyphenols on oxidative stress, officially, through a Health Claim. There it is explicitly stated that "Olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress".
These results and the measurements of the health-protective components are the reference point and one of the reasons why the organic olive oils and table olives by Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms have participated in a variety of university studies, as well as clinical research, carried out in renowned institutions in Greece and abroad.
Characteristic examples are the research studies and trials entitled "Feeding America's Bravest” and “Olives for Health” in the well-known universities in the USA, Harvard and Yale respectively, which study the effect of their daily consumption on human health.
At the same time, three American universities (Auburn, Temple and Yale School of Public Health) are starting a new research project entitled "EVOO for Brain Health" along with conducting a clinical trial at Auburn University, to evaluate the effect of the high phenolic olive oil Plus Health Green EVOO by Sakellaropoulos, in healthy people with a family history of Alzheimer's disease.
Equally important are the results of the two clinical studies of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, which enabled the research team of the Department of Pharmacy to convert the organic table olives of Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms in the form of encapsulated powder, with an international patent, for their beneficial effect in the regulation of cholesterol levels.
The announcement of these multiple awards is a great honor for us, as it justifies our efforts in the production of specialized organic olive products, which in addition to the international awards for their taste characteristics (938 total international awards), are awarded for their very high content of health-protective ingredients, in a scientifically proven way.
