Aristoleo High Phenolic Olive Oils and Table Olive Awards is the international competition that measures the beneficial ingredients (phenols) found in extra virgin olive oils and table olives. In 2026, the 11th edition of the competition was held in Toronto, Canada.
The beneficial ingredients measured are called phenols, with the main ones being oleocanthal, oleacein and their derivatives in olive oils, as well as hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol and their derivatives in table olives.
These phenols are powerful micronutrients, with excellent health protective action, that belong to natural antioxidants, have significant biological activity and have been attributed anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cardioprotective and neuroprotective properties.
The beneficial effect of polyphenols is officially recognized in the European Regulation 432/2012 that is in force, where these ingredients, when contained in a minimum concentration (limit 250 mg/kg), enable the olive products that contain them to acquire a Health Claim, with clear indication of health protective properties.
The international competition ARISTOLEO High Phenolic Olive Oil and Table Olive Awards 2026 is based on the measurement of the total amount of phenolic compounds as measured by the NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) method, as well as the organoleptic analysis by a specialized laboratory for this purpose, to make sure that no defects are present.
They were announced on early April 2026 and the results showed that the organic extra virgin olive oils and table olives by Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms are among the top worldwide in terms of phenolic content and for that they ranked very high in the competition. In detail, the olive oils and table olives with their corresponding concentrations of phenols are:
Olive Oils
FYLLIKON First Harvest - Double Gold
HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD - 1.825 mg/kg
AGOURELAIO Early Harvest - Double Gold
HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD - 1.616 mg/kg
ARMONIA Monovarietal - Double Gold
HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD - 1.285 mg/kg
PLUS HEALTH GREEN EVOO - Gold
HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD - 1.198 mg/kg
PLUS HEALTH BLUE EVOO - Silver
HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD - 651 mg/kg
Table olives
PLUS HEALTH KALAMATA OLIVES - Triple Gold
HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD
PLUS HEALTH GREEN OLIVES - Triple Gold
HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD
KALAMATA Olives - Double Gold
HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD
VALSAMIKES Olives - Double Gold
HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD
TELIES Olives - Double Gold
HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD
PORTOKALENIES Olives - Double Gold
HIGH PHENOLIC AWARD
These measurements are up to 500 % higher than the average of commercial olive samples (378 mg/kg) analyzed from 2005 to date, based on a study carried out at the University of Athens and published in J. Agric. Food Chem. 2010,58, 46–50.
At the same time, the organic olive oils by Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms exceeded by up to 700 % the limit of 250 mg/kg, set by the European regulation 432 / 2012 and taken into account by the European Food Safety Authority, when in 2012 recognized the positive effect of polyphenols on oxidative stress, officially, through a Health Claim. There it is explicitly stated that "Olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress".
These results and the measurements of the health-protective components are the reference point and one of the reasons why the organic olive oils and table olives by Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms have participated in the well-known universities in the USA, Harvard and Yale, in the research studies and clinical trials entitled "Feeding America's Bravest”, “Olives for Health” and "Oleocanthal Plus" Cardio respectively, which study the effect of their daily consumption on human health.
At the same time, the latest research project "EVOO for Brain Health" is being carried out by three universities of the USA, Auburn, Temple and Yale School of Public Health, with the conduct of a clinical trial to evaluate the effect of the high phenolic olive oil by Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms - mainly in oleocanthal, on healthy individuals who have a family history of Alzheimer's disease. It is being scientifically examined whether it works protectively in individuals with a family history of Alzheimer's, which is usually associated with a genetic predisposition.
Also noteworthy is the new important discovery that may prove to be of exceptional importance for the treatment of diseases of the modern world, which was recently made by a scientific team from many countries, studying the ingredients of the extra virgin olive oil by Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms, under the brand name Plus Health DMB.
After years of collaboration, they managed to implement an innovative method that determines the presence of the bioactive component "3,3 dimethyl-1-butanol" (DMB) in extra virgin olive oil, a component beneficial to human health, that acts against harmful compounds (TMA and TMAO) that are associated with the induction of atherosclerosis and the appearance of inflammation in various cardiovascular diseases.
Equally important are the results of the three clinical studies of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, which enabled the research team of the Department of Pharmacy to convert the organic table olives of Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms into the form of encapsulated powder, with an international patent, for their beneficial effect in the regulation of cholesterol levels.
The announcement of these multiple awards at the ARISTOLEO Awards 2026 justifies the efforts of Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms to produce specialized organic olive products, which in addition to the international awards for their taste characteristics (1.253 total international awards), are awarded for their very high content of health-protective ingredients, in a scientifically proven way.
