The Best Extra Virgin Olive Oils for Health

These are the best extra virgin olive oils for your health

The Evooleum Guide presents the 10 best EVOOs based on their phenol content, and four of them are Spanish. The “Spain Brand” diet and olive oil reduce symptoms in patients suffering from depression. These are the new health benefits of olive oil.

It’s said to be the liquid gold of our pantry, and the truth is, science backs it up. Extra virgin olive oil is a valuable gastronomic commodity, but also an interesting tool for improving health.

Among the latest scientific evidence supporting this hypothesis is a Spanish study published in the prestigious journal Nutrients, led by researchers from the University of Seville. The study focused on oleic acid, which represents between 70 and 80% of its composition, with significant benefits for the body.

From a nutritional perspective, the benefits of olive oil are numerous, as it is primarily composed of triglycerides (>99%), which are glycerol esters with three fatty acids. In addition, it provides other substances of great interest, such as fat-soluble vitamins and antioxidants in varying amounts depending on its industrial processing.

For this reason, it is considered a healthy fat, in fact, it has been shown to be the healthiest there is. Furthermore, all EVOOs owe these properties to their fatty acid composition and minor components.

How to choose the best EVOO on the market?

To make things easier for you, the Evooleum guide includes in its latest edition a top 10 of the healthiest extra virgin olive oils in the world thanks to a pioneering initiative: measuring the total phenol content of all those awarded in the latest edition of the Evooleum Award in collaboration with the University of Córdoba (UCO).

Phenolic compounds are of exceptional nutritional interest due to their healthy properties, recognized by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) and reflected in European Directive 432/2012, which includes health claims associated with food consumption. To enjoy these health benefits, it is necessary to consume 20 grams of olive oil daily with a phenolic content of at least 250 ppm, or two tablespoons.

Four Spanish EVOOs

Mate Bianca Bellezza is crowned – with more than 1,237.5 ppm – the healthiest EVOO in the world in this edition; followed by another Istrian juice, San Antonio Mix San Antonio (1,203.3 ppm), and the single-varietal transalpine Coratina Don Gioacchino, from Azienda Agricola Sabino Leone, which reaches 900.3 ppm.

The Top 10 is completed by the last Croatian representative – also from Istria -, Monte Rosso Grand Selection (888.4 p.p.m.), from Monte Rosso d.o.o; the Italian Natyoure Bio Selezione Gold (832.3 p.p.m.), by Frantoio Oleario Mossa Domenica; the Jaenenses Puerta de las Villas Picual Temprano Ecológico (752.1 p.p.m.), from SCA San Vicente de Mogón, and Pradolivo Cosecha Temprana (728.1 p.p.m.), from the company Oleoperales, S.L.; Guglielmi BIO PGI Olio di Puglia (701.3 p.p.m.), from Guglielmi Saverio, S.n.c., which was first in this ranking in the last edition; another picual from Jaén, Pagos de Toral Selección Gourmet (660.2 p.p.m.), from Pagos de Toral, S.C.P., which boasts the high phenolic content of this variety; and finally, Oro del Desierto Coupage (652.5 ppm), from Rafael Alonso Aguilera, S.L., an organic blend of picual, hojiblanca, and arbequina grown in the Almería de Tabernas desert.

What factors determine the phenolic composition of olive oil?

All EVOOs possess them to a greater or lesser extent, but certain characteristics make some stand out:

• The healthiest varieties include, among others, the Spanish picual, cornicabra, and hojiblanca; the Italian coratina and leccino; and Croatian bianchera
• The altitude of the plantations above sea level, attested by the fact that several EVOOs awarded in recent editions come from mountain or hill olive groves
• The type of plantation: between rainfed and irrigated, the formerhigher levels
• The production system, where organic stands out – three of the TOP 10 oils are organic
• The care taken in the production process

Why is liquid gold so healthy?

To make this selection, the technical management of the Evooleum Awards, in collaboration with the Department of Analytical Chemistry at the University of Córdoba, analyzed the concentration of phenolic compounds in the top 100, reaching a clear conclusion: all are beneficial. for health due to its high content of monounsaturated fatty acids – which prevent, for example, the development of cardiovascular diseases – since the average practically doubles the minimum phenol level established by the EFSA.

Phenolic compounds are indirectly linked to the quality of extra virgin olive oil. On the one hand, phenols contribute to the organoleptic properties of EVOO through attributes such as pungency and bitterness, among others – positive factors, never negative. On the other hand, due to their antioxidant nature, they protect the juice itself from long-term deterioration.

Extra virgin olive oil has the most favorable composition. According to the Predimed study, the use of approximately four tablespoons per day is recommended. In particular, raw EVOO presents all its beneficial properties, since culinary processing can alter them. Above 180º, it begins to “smoke”, which indicates the appearance of acrolein and free radicals.