Aristoleo High Phenolic Olive Oils and Table Olive Awards is the international competition that measures the beneficial ingredients (phenols) found in olive oils and table olives. In 2023, the 8th edition of the competition was held in Toronto, Canada.

The beneficial ingredients measured are called phenols, with the main ones being oleocanthal, oleacein and their derivatives in olive oils, as well as hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol and their derivatives in table olives.

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 Olive Awards 2023 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.

They were announced on March 3, 2023 and the results 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 four double gold and seven 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 – 1625 mg/kg

AGOURELAIO Early Harvest – Double Gold

HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD – 1513 mg/kg

ARMONIA Monovarietal – Gold

HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD – 1140 mg/kg

PLUS HEALTH GREEN EVOO – Gold

HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD – 1129 mg/kg

PLUS HEALTH BLUE EVOO – Gold

HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD – 974 mg/kg

TABLE OLIVES

PLUS HEALTH KALAMATA OLIVES – Double Gold

HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD – 2150 mg/kg

PLUS HEALTH GREEN OLIVES – Double Gold

HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD – 2150 mg/kg

VALSAMIKES Olives –  Gold

HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD – 1760 mg/kg

KALAMATA Olives –  Gold

HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD – 1700 mg/kg

TELIES Olives –  Gold

HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD – 1650 mg/kg

PORTOKALENIES Olives-  Gold

HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD – 1430 mg/kg

It is worth noting that the olives “Plus Health Kalamata Olives” and “Plus Health Green Olives” set a new record for phenol concentration for 2023, with 2,150 mg/kg.

These measurements are 550% 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 approximately 650% 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 the well-known universities in the USA, Harvard and Yale, in the research studies and clinical trials entitled “Feeding America’s Bravest” and “Olives for Health” respectively, which study the effect of their daily consumption on human health.

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 under professor Mr. Magiatis Prokopios, to convert the organic table olives of Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms in the form of encapsulated powder, with an international parent, 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 for 31 consecutive years in the production of specialized organic olive products, which in addition to the international awards for their taste characteristics (632 total international awards), are awarded for their very high content of health-protective ingredients, in a scientifically proven way.