The panel deemed that a maximum intake of hydroxytyrosol of 43 milligrams per person per day is appropriate.
Genosa's Carlos Peña told NutraIngredients-USA that the ingredient would work best in beverages, fats and oils, milk, dairy and juices, and that there are no flavor issues when used at the recommended doses.
The ingredient is already used in beverages and vegetable oils in other countries, he added.
According to the company, Hytolive is an olive fruit extract with a rich composition of natural hydroxytyrosol, obtained under the sole use of physical and mechanical processes. No solvents are used during the extraction process.
Health benefits
Hydroxytyrosol is thought to be the main antioxidant compound in olives, and believed to play a significant role in the many health benefits attributed to olive oil.
One of just a handful of bioactive ingredients to secure a positive health claims opinion polyphenols from the European Food safety Authority (EFSA), hydroxytyrosol is claimed to reduce oxidized LDL cholesterol, an emerging risk factor for atherosclerosis.
As the oxidation of LDL leads to a series of events that result in fatty streaks in artery tissue, which in turn morph into arterial plaques, OxLDL levels are seen by some scientists as a more useful predictor of risk for developing cardiovascular disease than total cholesterol or LDL-cholesterol.
Data has also suggested the compound may boost eye health and reduce the risk of against macular degeneration.
However, hydroxytyrosol is also known for its anti-inflammatory powers, with a recent study published in Planta Med showing it inhibited the pro-inflammatory compounds nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in mouse cells.
EFSA
The EFSA opinion deemed that: “…a cause and effect relationship has been established between the consumption of olive oil polyphenols (standardised by the content of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives) and protection of LDL particles from oxidative damage”.
“…in order to bear the claim, 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives in olive oil should be consumed daily”.