All olive oils have a lot of one type of antioxidant called alpha-tocopherol — but the amount varies: Cornicabra has the most, Manzanilla has the least.
Scientific Claim
The α-tocopherol content in unheated extra virgin olive oils ranges from 21.43 to 34.85 mg/g, with Cornicabra having the highest and Manzanilla the lowest, and α-tocopherol constitutes 95–98% of total tocopherols across all varieties.
Original Statement
“The tocopherol content of the other olive oils was 28.36, 28.68, 29.00, and 31.75 in Sensation, Arbequina, Armonia, and Picual, respectively. The main tocopherol identified in olive oil was α-tocopherol, which accounted for 95.26 to 97.78% of all tocopherols... The lowest content of tocopherols was observed in olive oil from the Manzanilla variety and the highest in Cornicabra olive.”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
definitive
Can make definitive causal claims
Assessment Explanation
The study used validated HPLC methods to quantify tocopherol levels in unheated oils, enabling definitive, precise statements about initial composition.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (0)
Contradicting (1)
The study looked at what happens when olive oil gets hot, but it didn’t measure how much vitamin E was in the oil before heating, so we can’t tell if the numbers in the claim are right.