PROCESS FOR INCREASING THE LEVELS OF THE POLYPHENOLS OLEOCANTHAL AND OLEACEIN IN OLIVE OIL

The present invention relates to a process in which a mixture of olive tree leaves with olive oils is used in an oil production unit during processing of the olive oil in order to increase the levels of valuable polyphenols, oleocanthal and oleacein, in olive oil, the said polyphenols having health-protecting properties according to the European Regulation health claim 432/2012, where they are useful for the human body.

The known traditional method for producing olive oil is the processing of the olives in an oil production unit where they are washed in special washing machines and then the olives are separated from any other components such as the olive tree leaves which are also collected during harvest of the olives in the field and then the olives are passed through a crusher, a blender, a centrifuge and finally through a separator where olive oil is obtained as final product. Olive oil contains high levels of polyphenols, which is due to the fact that the olives are harvested early and are directly transferred to an oil production unit after harvesting and are cold-pressed during processing.

The present inventor found after extensive research a method for increasing the polyphenols contained in olive oil which are responsible for the health-protecting properties, in particular oleocanthal and oleacein.

In particular the present invention relates to a method for obtaining higher levels of valuable polyphenols in olive oil, in order to provide a new superior product having a natural pharmaceutical action on the human body, wherein this is achieved by admixing olive tree leaves during processing of olives for the production of olive oil.

The process is common for the production of olive oil in oil production units, except that during processing in the first separation step the olive tree leaves remain with the olives and are not discharged, thus they pass through the crusher, the blender, the centrifuge and finally the separator to produce as final product olive oil with olive tree leaves.

During passage through the crusher, the olives and the leaves are crushed by pressure applied in a physical or mechanical way, while during passage through the blender the product obtained from the previous step is mixed by rotation to further release nutrient components. In the centrifuge, the olive stone residues are separated and the juice remains, which constitutes the oil with the accompanying sediment. In the specific case, the desired separation may be effected by pressing instead of centrifugation. Finally, in the separator, the oil is separated from the sediment to provide the final product. The separation may also be effected in a natural way, where the product does not pass through the separator but is left at rest for some time period, so that the sediment settles and the final product is obtained.

Especially, oleocanthal is considered -after scientific research- as one of the most valuable oil polyphenols with pharmaceutical action.

The evidence for the effects on human health after research performed in cooperation with the director of the olive tree center of the University of California, Dan Flynn and performed by Roberta R. Holt, Karan Agrawal, Selina Wang, Theresa Pedersen, Eleni Melliou, Prokopios Magiatis, John W. Newman. The results of the clinical study on the advantageous effects of olive oil on health, performed in the Center of Nutrition, Davis University, California and in the Nutrition Research Center, U.S. Ministry of Agriculture, California. Oleocanthal can protect the cardiovascular system. Many of these chemical compounds have been proven to have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. While the term "total polyphenols" of an oil is acceptable as a measure of its anti-oxidant capacity, its pharmaceutical action may be derived from specific compounds. An example is oleocanthal which is associated with the spicy taste of certain fresh and high quality olive oils.

This compound is known to inhibit the same enzyme which is also inhibited by aspirin, ibuprofen, and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), and the daily use of aspirin for the reduction of the cardiovascular risk is based on this action. In fact, oleocanthal is considered a natural NSAID, however its action has never been proven on humans but only in vitro.

Platelet aggregation is a sensitive measure of the effect of low doses of aspirin and was used as a study model for oleocanthal as regards its capacity to protect against clot formation and thus against infarctions and strokes. In this study, it was investigated whether an uptake of 40 ml of each olive oil with distinct composition may inhibit platelet aggregation in healthy men. Nine men having normal weight were included in the study and consumed the three types of olive oil in random at one-week intervals and their effect on platelet function was evaluated 2 hours after oil uptake.

The oils which are rich in oleocanthal and the related compound oleacein were found to inhibit significantly platelet aggregation, while the oil not having these compounds, but which had an equivalent content of total polyphenols (mainly in the form of free tyrosol) failed to produce this effect. '

This effect proves that oils rich in natural anti-inflammatory compounds may show an effect on human subjects respective to that of NSAIDs, but also that a wide range of different responses between subjects is obtained -which requires further investigation- which is achieved by a tasty nutrition, which operates in parallel as preventive medicine.

From the research and recording of the results, performed by Dr. Prokopis Magiatis, Assistant Professor in the Sector of Pharmacognosy and chemistry of natural products, it is demonstrated that oil quality correlates directly with the benefits on health.

Oleocanthal

Oleocanthal (decarboxymethyl ligstrosideaglycone) (oleocanthal) has an antiinflammatory action similar to ibuprofen

Inhibition of the progress of Alzheimer disease in laboratory animals (February 2013)

COX1 and COX2 inhibitor

Treatment of rheumatic arthritis

Anti-cancer action - Long-term exposure to low doses of anti-inflammatory substances, such as oleocanthal, protects against cardiovascular diseases and aging

- Oleocanthal is responsible for the burning effect in throat (pungency), which is typical for raw oil

Oleacein

It has a structure similar to oleocanthal and is a hydroxytyrosol derivative and is the most anti-oxidant compound of olive oil and a LOX inhibitor.