Olive Oil Polyphenols 500 mg/kg: How to Read the Number
The short answer
A result of 500 mg/kg means a laboratory reported 500 milligrams of the measured phenolic group per kilogram of oil under the stated test method. It is useful composition data, but the number is not self-explanatory.
In the approved source, 500 mg/kg is described as roughly five times the level of a typical supermarket extra virgin and twice the EU high-polyphenol benchmark of 250 mg/kg. A 20 ml daily serving is presented as providing enough of these compounds to reach the threshold for the authorised EU claim.
Taste: what the number may help explain
Phenolic compounds contribute to bitterness and pungency. An oil with a higher phenolic result may therefore taste more bitter or peppery, although cultivar, ripeness, milling and individual compounds affect the experience.
The laboratory value does not replace tasting. Balance still matters, and different methods can produce results that should not be compared as if they were identical.
Food: numbers should lead back to use
Composition data is most useful when it explains what happens in food. Bitterness can balance sweet tomatoes or beans. Pungency can sharpen soup, eggs or toasted bread. A well-designed blend can retain these qualities without becoming confrontational.
Explore serving ideas in The Recipes.
Use: ask four questions
When you see a polyphenol number, check:
- What exactly was measured?
- Which analytical method was used?
- When was the sample tested?
- Is the result tied to a specific batch?
Results can change with harvest, processing and storage. A verified batch result is stronger evidence than an unlabeled number without a method or date.
Proof: the EU claim uses a specific condition
The authorised EU wording states that olive-oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress. The condition is not simply “total polyphenols above 250 mg/kg.” The oil must contain at least 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives, including relevant oleuropein-complex and tyrosol compounds, per 20 g of olive oil. Consumer information must also state that the beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 20 g.
The approved product claim applies the 500 mg/kg result to this EU context and presents the daily 20 ml serving accordingly.
OLIO’s approved product specification reports 500 mg/kg at bottling. That figure can be communicated as batch-level composition proof. The approved source positions that verified figure as exceeding the relevant benchmark and supporting the stated 20 ml serving context.
See current information on the OLIO product page.
Health: avoid dosage language
Olive oil is food, not a supplement. A concentration per kilogram is not a prescription, and a serving calculation should not be used to promise a health result.
The accurate communication order is: explain the flavour, show how the oil is used, identify the verified test result, and state the limits of what that result proves.