If you think all extra virgin olive oil is basically the same, look at the polyphenol number.

Polyphenols are naturally occurring compounds found in olives, and they are one of the reasons scientists are so interested in high-quality extra virgin olive oil.

Among the most studied are oleocanthal, oleacein, hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol and oleuropein derivatives.

At BYRSA Olive Oil, our current Picholine harvest contains an independently tested 1,413 mg/kg of total polyphenols. Our Chetoui measures 1,371 mg/kg.

And a previous BYRSA Picholine harvest reached an extraordinary 2,071 mg/kg total polyphenols—including approximately 857 mg/kg of oleocanthal.

But what do those numbers actually mean?

Let’s look at the science.

Polyphenols & Oxidative Stress: One of the Strongest Areas of Human Evidence

One of the most established benefits of olive-oil polyphenols involves protecting blood lipids from oxidative stress.

In a randomized controlled human trial, researchers compared olive oils containing different concentrations of phenolic compounds. As phenolic concentration increased, markers of oxidized LDL decreased and resistance of LDL to oxidation increased.

Read the human clinical trial:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15168036/

Other randomized human research has found favorable effects of olive-oil polyphenols on LDL particles and HDL function.

EUROLIVE LDL study:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26136585/

HDL function randomized trial:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25060792/

The evidence became strong enough that the European Union authorized this health claim:

“Olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress.”

The authorized claim applies when an olive oil provides at least 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives per 20 grams of oil, with the beneficial effect associated with a daily intake of 20 grams.

Read the official EU regulation:
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32012R0432

Oleocanthal: The Compound Behind That Peppery Kick

Have you ever tasted exceptional fresh olive oil and suddenly felt a peppery sensation in the back of your throat?

Oleocanthal is strongly associated with that distinctive pungency.

Oleocanthal has attracted scientific attention because of its biological activity involving inflammatory pathways. You’ve probably even seen it called “nature’s ibuprofen.”

That’s an interesting comparison, but it shouldn’t be taken literally: olive oil isn’t a replacement for ibuprofen or any medication.

What’s particularly exciting is that researchers are now studying oleocanthal-rich EVOO in humans.

A randomized crossover study from researchers including UC Davis investigated EVOOs with different phenolic profiles in healthy men. Certain oleocanthal-containing oils reduced collagen-stimulated platelet aggregation, and the effect correlated most strongly with the amount of oleocanthal consumed.

Read the human oleocanthal trial:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29904393/

This study also raises an important point:

Total polyphenols may not tell the entire story.

The individual phenolic profile—including how much oleocanthal an oil contains—may matter too.

That’s one reason BYRSA doesn’t just talk about polyphenols. We test them.

Hydroxytyrosol: A Powerful Olive Phenolic

Hydroxytyrosol is another major compound in olive-oil research.

Human studies have examined hydroxytyrosol and olive-oil phenolics in relation to oxidized LDL, oxidative stress and cardiovascular biomarkers.

Rather than claiming that one compound is a miracle ingredient, we think the science tells a more interesting story:

High-quality EVOO contains a complex family of naturally occurring phenolic compounds that researchers continue to study in controlled human trials.

And that’s exactly what we’re trying to preserve in every BYRSA bottle.

How Does BYRSA Reach More Than 1,400 mg/kg?

Producing an ultra-high-polyphenol olive oil isn’t about one secret.

It’s about what happens at every step between the tree and the bottle.

We Harvest Early

We harvest our olives early, while they’re still green.

Waiting longer can increase the amount of oil produced by the fruit—but maximizing yield isn’t our priority.

Quality is.

Early harvesting is one of the decisions we make in pursuit of the intense flavor and phenolic profile we want from BYRSA.

Every Olive Is Hand-Picked

Our olives are hand-picked and carefully handled.

Why?

Because we want to minimize bruising and damage to the fruit.

Once an olive is damaged, oxidation and enzymatic deterioration can begin before it ever reaches the mill.

For us, protecting the oil begins by protecting the olive.

From Tree to Mill Within Hours

Our olives don’t sit around after harvest.

We cold-extract within four hours of picking.

Reducing the time between harvesting and extraction helps us protect the freshness and quality of the fruit before it becomes olive oil.

Everything Happens at Our Farm

This is one of the biggest differences with BYRSA.

Our olives aren’t harvested in one location, trucked somewhere else for milling, transported somewhere else for filtration, and finally sent to another facility for bottling.

We control the process at the source.

The olives are grown on our farm in Tunisia.

They’re harvested there.

They’re milled there.

The oil is filtered there.

And BYRSA is bottled right there on the farm.

Fewer unnecessary steps mean fewer opportunities for the oil we’ve worked so hard to produce to be compromised.

Then We Fly It to America

After everything we do to protect our oil, we’re not going to put it through weeks of transportation if we can avoid it.

So we fly it.

BYRSA travels from Tunisia to the United States by air cargo, arriving in approximately 24 hours rather than spending weeks crossing the ocean in a shipping container.

Why spend more to ship olive oil by air?

Because we want to minimize transportation time and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat conditions that can occur during conventional freight.

We spend an entire year growing our olives.

We carefully hand-pick them.

We press them within hours.

We filter and bottle at the farm.

We’re not going to stop caring about the oil during the final part of its journey.

We Don’t Just Say “High Polyphenol.” We Test It.

This may be the most important part.

Every BYRSA harvest is independently tested through the World Olive Center for Health.

We don’t expect you to simply believe a marketing claim.

We show you the analysis.

Our current Picholine:

1,413 mg/kg total polyphenols.

Our current Chetoui:

1,371 mg/kg total polyphenols.

A previous BYRSA Picholine harvest:

2,071 mg/kg total polyphenols.

And approximately:

857 mg/kg oleocanthal.

Those aren’t marketing adjectives.

They’re measurements.

You can view our current analysis certificates directly on BYRSA.us.

Why Does BYRSA Taste So Peppery?

When people taste BYRSA for the first time, we often see the same reaction.

First comes the fresh, green flavor.

Then the bitterness.

And finally…

that unmistakable peppery kick in the throat.

Don’t mistake that intensity for a flaw.

Oleocanthal is associated with the throat pungency characteristic of certain fresh extra virgin olive oils.

That intensity is part of what makes high-polyphenol EVOO so different from the mild olive oils many people are accustomed to buying at the supermarket.

Don’t Just Buy “Extra Virgin.” Ask What’s Inside the Bottle.

If you’re specifically looking for high-polyphenol extra virgin olive oil, ask questions.

When was it harvested?

How quickly were the olives pressed?

Was the oil bottled at the source?

Has the oil actually been laboratory tested?

What’s the total polyphenol concentration?

And if a company talks about oleocanthal…

How much oleocanthal is actually in the oil?

At BYRSA, we want customers to ask those questions.

Because we believe the answers matter.

From Our Farm to Your Table

Early harvested.

Hand-picked.

Carefully handled to minimize bruising and oxidation.

Cold-extracted within four hours.

Filtered.

Bottled directly at our farm.

Independently tested every harvest.

Flown from Tunisia to the United States by air cargo.

And today, more than 1,400 mg/kg of polyphenols in our Picholine, with previous BYRSA harvests surpassing 2,000 mg/kg.

That’s the BYRSA difference.

Taste High-Polyphenol Olive Oil for Yourself

If you’ve never experienced truly fresh, early-harvest, ultra-high-polyphenol extra virgin olive oil, prepare for something different.

Expect green aromas.

Expect complexity.

Expect bitterness.

And expect that beautiful peppery finish.

Explore the current BYRSA harvest, view our independent analysis certificates and experience the difference for yourself.

Shop BYRSA Olive Oil:
https://byrsa.us/

Want to Read the Science?

Olive-oil phenols & LDL oxidation — randomized human trial
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15168036/

Olive-oil polyphenols & LDL particles — randomized human trial
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26136585/

Olive-oil polyphenols & HDL function — randomized human trial
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25060792/

Oleocanthal-rich EVOO & platelet function — randomized human trial
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29904393/

Official European Union olive-oil polyphenol health claim
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32012R0432

This article is provided for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Research involving olive oil and individual olive phenolic compounds does not establish that BYRSA Olive Oil diagnoses, treats, cures or prevents any disease.