Technical features:
Low acidity: < 0.35 (Umbria PDO specification < 0.6; Extra virgin olive oil < 0.8)
Low level of peroxides: < 3 (Umbria PDO specification < 12; Extra virgin olive oil < 20)
Nutraceutical components: Oleuropein > 400
Oleuropein is the main polyphenol present in the leaves and fruits of the olive tree, and is responsible for their bitter taste. Like all phytoalexins, it has antimicrobial, fungicidal and insecticidal properties, conferring it an important role in the defence against infections and infestations.
Beneficial properties have been attributed to oleuropein against numerous diseases such as cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases. These properties are not limited to the known antioxidant power of polyphenols; more recent studies have, in fact, begun to demonstrate the clinical efficacy of the administration of oleuropein inhumans, explaining the molecular and cellular mechanisms through which this substance and its metabolites exert their beneficial effects, which are then the basis of the nutritional virtues commonly associated with the so-called Mediterranean Diet.