Discover the secret of exceptional olive oil. Polyphenols are the invisible guardians of your health. Found in extra virgin olive oil, these powerful antioxidants explain why the Mediterranean diet is associated with better cardiovascular health and greater longevity. But not all oils are equal: PICORIA GOLD contains more than 400 mg/kg of polyphenols, nearly 3 times the European minimum threshold.

What are polyphenols?

Polyphenols are natural compounds found in many plants, and particularly concentrated in olives. Although they make up only 2% of an extra virgin olive oil's composition, these molecules are true guardians of your health.

These powerful antioxidants give olive oil its distinctive character: that slight bitterness, the pungency at the back of the throat that can make you cough, and that intense grassy flavour. Far from being flaws, these sensations are precisely the sign of an exceptional oil, rich in compounds beneficial to your body.

In olive oil, several key types of polyphenols are found:

Why are polyphenols essential to your health?

1. Cardiovascular protection

Polyphenols protect your blood lipids from oxidative stress, reducing the risk of atherosclerosis. The European Union officially recognises this benefit for oils containing at least 250 mg/kg of polyphenols, with a consumption of just 20 g per day.

2. Powerful anti-inflammatory action

Oleocanthal has anti-inflammatory properties comparable to ibuprofen, without the side effects. It helps reduce chronic inflammation, a risk factor in many modern diseases.

3. Metabolic regulation and protection against diabetes

A study in the British Journal of Medicine shows that people who consume polyphenol-rich foods have a 57% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

4. Brain protection

Polyphenols cross the blood-brain barrier and exert a neuroprotective action. A reduced risk of dementia and Alzheimer's.

5. Anti-ageing effect

They neutralise free radicals, protect DNA and slow cellular ageing. Up to 52% fewer wrinkles in certain studies.

6. Gut health

A prebiotic effect that fosters a healthy gut flora.

Not all olive oils are equal

A refined oil contains virtually no polyphenols. Even among extra virgin oils, the variation is enormous:

Scale of polyphenol richness in olive oils
Scale of polyphenol richness by oil category.

PICORIA GOLD exceeds 500 mg/kg of polyphenols, placing our oil in the category of exceptional oils.

What determines polyphenol richness?

The olive variety

Some varieties are naturally richer:

PICORIA = 100% Picual, the richest Spanish variety.

The moment of harvest

Green olives harvested early

Early harvest, the secret of richness

The moment of picking determines everything. PICORIA harvests in October, when the olives are still green: this is the instant their polyphenol concentration reaches its peak. Such earliness comes at a price — a lower yield, since a green olive gives less oil than a ripe one — but it is the choice of excellence over volume. Every drop then concentrates the full antioxidant power of the fruit.

Terroir and altitude

Altitude + Mediterranean climate + dry farming = maximum concentration. PICORIA: 1200-1500 m of altitude in the Sierra Mágina.

The extraction process

Cold extraction (<27°C) + fast pressing (<4h after harvest). PICORIA cold-presses in less than 4 hours after hand-picking.

How to recognise an oil rich in polyphenols?

On the nose

Fresh, intense aromas: cut grass, tomato, artichoke, green fruit.

On the palate

Bitterness and pungency are your allies. That tingling at the back of the throat that makes you cough = that's oleocanthal! The more pungent the oil, the richer it is in polyphenols.

On the label

How to enjoy your polyphenol-rich oil?

Raw, ideally

To benefit fully from polyphenols:

How much?

20 g per day (≈ 2 tablespoons) = the optimal dose according to studies.

Optimal storage