Hydroxytyrosol and oleuropein

Hydroxytyrosol is an ortho-diphenolic compound and the principal antioxidant phenol in olive oil and olive leaves; in the fruit and oil it is largely bound within the more complex oleuropein structure, which hydrolyses to hydroxytyrosol during processing and digestion. Based on a 2011 EFSA scientific opinion, EU Commission Regulation 432/2012 authorises the health claim that "olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress", on the condition that the food provides at least 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives (e.g. oleuropein complex and tyrosol) per 20 g of olive oil. Cardiovascular outcome evidence for an EVOO-rich Mediterranean diet comes mainly from the PREDIMED trial. EFSA has also confirmed hydroxytyrosol as a safe novel food.