Nutritional and health claims compliance of olive oils produced from centenarian olive trees

This work examined whether centenarian trees could be a source of virgin olive oil (VOO) that accomplishes nutritional and health claims regarding unsaturated fatty acids (UFA), tocopherols and phenolic compounds (tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol derivatives). A total of 159 VOOs from centenarian trees of Côa Valley-Portugal were analysed to assess their compliance with those claims. All VOOs met the criteria for ‘high source of UFA’ (≥70% of total FA). The oils’ vitamin E richness ensured compliance with the claim (≥36 mg/kg of oil), with some samples surpassing 484 mg/kg. Regarding polyphenols, 88.6% of the oils fulfilled the requirements (≥5 mg/20g of oil) for health claims. Among these, 75% fell within 5–10 mg/20g, with up to 32 mg/20g. These findings underscore the significant nutritional and health potential inherent to oils extracted from centenarian trees, emphasizing the importance of preserving these specimens for their genetic diversity and valuable properties.