In recent years, we have witnessed new developments in the olive oil sector. It has now been proven, through numerous studies, that olive oil, among many others, is an important source of antioxidants based on its phenolic profile, which includes phenolic acids and alcohols, polyphenols, lignans, secoiridoids, oleacein and oleocanthal [1].
However, there are other substances (microconstituents) in olive oil that have not yet been extensively researched. These substances tend to differ in composition from one olive oil to the next and often seem to exhibit significant effects.
Research teams are conducting clinical studies, research and analyses internationally, trying to analyze these microcomponents of olive oil, discover their biological action, and help us understand which olive oils may have a significant positive effect on human health and why this happens.
DMB and olive oil
One of these microcomponents of olive oil is DMB (3,3-dimethyl-1-butanol).
DMB is a recently discovered compound of olive oil. It is found in some extra virgin, cold-extracted olive oils. Modern studies and research conducted internationally characterize DMB as a compound that has great promise for improving human health, through many different mechanisms [2].
The compound DMB seems to play an important role in human health. It has been found to play a key role in inhibiting the enzyme TMA-lyase, which is involved in the formation of TMAO (trimethylamine-N-oxide). TMA is produced by the gut microbiota from foods such as red meat and is then absorbed into the bloodstream and oxidized to TMAO in the liver [2], [3], [4].
TMAO & Human Health
TMAO is a gut microbiota-dependent metabolite associated with inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis, the immunological processes of which mirror those of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). TMAO also appears to enhance vascular inflammation in a variety of cardiovascular diseases, and bacterial communities associated with TMAO metabolism are higher in pulmonary hypertension patients with poor prognosis in pulmonary arterial hypertension. [5]
TMAO is produced by gut bacteria during the digestion of choline, lecithin, and carnitine, nutrients abundant in animal products, including red meat, egg yolks, and high-fat dairy products. TMAO is, at high levels, a toxic substance that can increase the risk of heart disease, kidney failure, atherosclerosis, heart attacks, and strokes [2] [6].
In recent years, there has been a growing body of evidence suggesting that the gut microbiota influences a wide range of systemic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, and these diseases also have adverse effects on the gut microbiota [7].
Great scientific interest in TMAO
An indicator of the growing international scientific interest in TMAO is the number of methods that have been developed for the detection and quantification of TMAO and its related metabolites in body fluids. Twenty-seven (27) methods are reported in literature for the determination of TMAO in humans, using modern and advanced analytical techniques, as well as four (4) analytical techniques used to determine TMAO levels in mice [8].
DMB and its effect on TMAO
Recently, DMB has been shown to play a key role in inhibiting the enzyme TMA-lyase, which is involved in the formation of TMAO (trimethylamine-N-oxide). [2], [3], [4].
Emerging evidence suggests that elevated TMAO concentrations contribute to vascular dysfunction associated with the consumption of a Western-style diet (high fat, high sugar, low fiber) and that this dysfunction can be prevented by suppressing TMAO with DMB [9].
A research study by Wang (2020) in mice with induced heart failure (HF), showed that DMB treatment reduced TMAO levels, while playing a significant role in attenuating the development of cardiac structural remodeling and electrical remodeling [10].
Researchers at the Cleveland Heart Lab in Ohio, USA, who conducted experiments on mice, reported that dietary supplementation with DMB safely inhibited atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in the arteries) and significantly reduced TMAO production. They report that DMB inhibits the key enzyme in TMA production, thereby reducing plasma TMAO levels, inhibiting foam cell formation, and reducing aortic plaque progression in mice, all without affecting circulating cholesterol levels [2], [3].
Since 2015, several international studies have been published in which the administration of 3,3-dimethyl-1-butanol (DMB) in metabolic diseases that are likely due to or manifested by increased amounts of TMAO improved the health of experimental animals. Indicatively, some relative published studies mention:
• DMB reduced TMAO levels in overload-induced Heart Failure mice, while playing an important role in attenuating the development of cardiac structural remodeling and electrical remodeling[10],
• DMB treatment had no effects on body weight and dyslipidemia, but significantly reduced plasma TMAO levels and prevented cardiac dysfunction in mice fed a Western style Diet[11], [12],
• increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines and superoxide production, and decreased expression of endothelial nitric-oxide synthase (eNOS) in the aorta, were restored by DMB treatment [13],
• early intervention targeting on gut-microbiota-derived metabolites TMAO and SCFAs to reprogram hypertension may have significant impact to reduce the burden of hypertension, via DMB treatment or other supplementation [14],
• the therapeutic potential of DMB, a microbiome-based metabolite treatment, for the prevention of hypertension of developmental origins [15].
Quantification of DMB in olive oil
Recently, as Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms, we participated in the research team of scientists from many countries, which published in June 2025 an innovative method for the quantification of the compound DMB in olive oil, in the international Journal of Food Bioactives (JFB) of the International Society for Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods (ISNFF) [4].
This published scientific article is entitled “Quantification of 3,3-dimethyl-1-butanol (DMB) in olive oil: a rapid and novel method” (see more). This method has been validated according to the European guide Eurachem, a network of organizations in Europe, in collaboration with the Cooperation on International Traceability in Analytical Chemistry (CITAC).
The development of this new gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (HS GC/MS) method encourages further studies on the presence of this compound in olive oil and the factors affecting its concentration.
DMB concentrations in olive oils by Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms
The values of DMB concentrations in olive oils, based on the literature, are not always at the same levels. This is because there are many factors that affect the final DMB concentration, most of which have not yet been finalized or studied extensively.
At Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms, in addition to the cultivation, processing method and packaging of the olive oils, we have carried out a multitude of analyses and experiments in collaboration with research groups and university institutions, in order to identify how the DMB concentration in our extra virgin olive oils is affected.
The great uniqueness of the extra virgin olive oil Plus Health DMB Multivarietal, in addition to the high concentration of polyphenols, lies mainly in the content of the DMB compound.
According to the specialized analyses we have carried out based on the above published method in the international Journal of Food Bioactives (JFB) of the International Society for Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods (ISNFF), the DMB concentrations found in the specialized olive oil Plus Health DMB Multivarietal exceed 11,000 ng/L [4].
Thus, it is placed in the very small percentage of olive oils that contain DMB and are among the most remarkable values that have been recorded. In the same publication, other commercial olive oil samples were found to have concentrations as low as 1,500 ng/L.
In conclusion, the novel quantification method, the scientific collaboration and the promotion of research on DMB constitute another contribution of Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms to the discovery of new components and effects of olive oil, but also further proof that the horizons of Olive Farming are vast.
Nick Sakellaropoulos
Chemical Engineer M.Sc.
Production Manager
Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms
Sources
• [1] Kiritsakis AK, Kiritsakis KA, Tsitsipas CK. A review of the evolution in the research of antioxidants in olives and olive oil during the last four decades. Journal of Food Bioactives, 2020, 11: 31-56.
• [2] Non-lethal Inhibition of Gut Microbial Trimethylamine Production for the Treatment of Atherosclerosis Wang, Zeneng et al. Cell, Volume 163, Issue 7, 1585 - 1595
• [6] TMAO: what it is and how to reduce it, Marselou Despina, Dietitian - Nutritionist, 29/09/2021
