Do you know that tingling or spicy sensation that is felt in the throat after tasting an Extra Virgin Olive Oil? Well, it is caused by a polyphenol called Oleocanthal. The quantity of the substance present in an Extra Virgin Olive Oil depends above all on the harvesting period being in greater quantity in the oils obtained from olives harvested before the complete ripening. The term comes from the union of 3 terms: oleo = oil; canth = pungent; al = aldehyde.

The identification of this substance occurred, by chance in 2005 by an American scientist, Dr. Gary Beauchamp, during a meeting of molecular gastronomy in Sicily. The scientist’s intuition was born during the tasting of olive oils in an oil mill: the tingling left by the oil in the pharynx immediately reminded him of something he had recently tested at the Monell Chemical Sense Center laboratories in Philadelphia: ibuprofen in solution. Intrigued by the similarity and after receiving samples of the oil, the scientist managed to isolate the substance and began to test its precious properties including the anti-inflammatory action similar to that of ibuprofen.

Since its discovery onwards numerous scientific studies have been conducted on the Oleocanthal. Among these, the one led by Paul Breslin, colleague of Gary Beauchamp in the Monell Center, stands out, together with biologists and oncology researchers David Foster and Onica Legendre, who observed his selective killer action of the substance against cancer cells. Another worthy study (Amal Kaddoumi, ACS Chemical Neuroscience) concerns the action of the Oleocanthal on the reduction of beta-amyloid plaque: the protein responsible for Alzheimer’s disease.

Oleocanthal, and the other polyphenols contained in Extra Virgin Olive Oil can therefore have protective effects on our health through daily and regular consumption. Four tablespoons of EVO, rich in Oleocanthal, per day will amount to a consumption of about 125 mg of ibuprofen which, according to the researchers of the Andalusian Società dell’ Oleocanthal, is a good standard for preventing or attenuating chronic inflammatory processes. Therefore, when choosing an EVO, do not forget to consider that only those with a “spicy” effect on the pharynx are truly rich in the beneficial Oleocanthal.