1999 – 2005
It is about a fortuitous discovery that occurred in the United States. In 1999 the American scientist Gary Beauchamp attended a world meeting on the island of Sicily accompanying other scientists at an organo – sensory conference on molecular nutrition organized by the marriage of physicists Massimo Ugo Palma and his wife Marie Beatrice Voltarelli.
In the course of the meeting, the couple invited a meal at their home on the island of Erice in which, among other things, extra virgin olive oil was served. Dr. Gary Beauchamp expert in organolepsy had no history of having tested the aforementioned oil in his life. He drank several sips and realized that it had a special flavor, when it was drunk, there was an itch in the backpacking that not all olive oils have. He repeated the operation and could see that it had the same taste as a syrup they were experiencing in his laboratory at the University of Philadelphia. Upon returning to the United States, they were able to confirm that the typical taste similar to ibuprofen came from a molecule that they later named Oleocanthal (Beauchamp and Cols, they called it OLEOCANTHAL, by the word «OLEO» Oil, CANTH from «ACANTHOS» Itching and AL of Aldehido).
The team of Professor Gary Beauchamp discovered something else, the substance was a powerful anti-inflammatory, four tablespoons of this oil rich in Oleocanthal, was the equivalent to approximately 250 mg of ibuprofen in vitro.
2014
Dr. José Amérigo, a physician specializing in Nutrition and Dietetics, visits the Aovesol fair on the Costa del Sol, Benalmádena, Málaga, Spain. In the course of his visit he went around the stands with the various extra virgin olive oils that were exhibited at the fair. In that year there were 40 exhibitors and Dr. Amérigo visited them one by one asking, do you know what the Oleocanthal is? And none knew it. This fact caught his attention and he invited Dr. Gary Beauchamp to visit Andalucia and to talk about his discovery. And in parallel we celebrated the first meeting in Córdoba, with an auditorium full of people who wanted to know what the Oleocanthal was.
In May 2014, Drs. Beauchamp and Amérigo, contacted Prokopios Magiatis,( Professor of Athens University ) who was visiting Davis University (California) and they proposed a meeting to talk about the Oleocanthal. From that meeting came the name of Zakynthos, a Greek island where the first working meeting was held to found the Oleocanthal International Society with the following people present: Gary Beauchamp, José Amérigo, Prokopios Magiatis, Elleni Melliou, Clara Villanueva, Dolores Luque, Paul Breslin, Feliciano Priego, Li Li Ji, Daniel Garcia, Manolo Brenes, Maureen O`leary and the journalist Athan Gadanidis. The host was the Greek producer Dimitris Therianos from Therianos Family in Zakynthos with the sponsorship of the Zakynthos Olive Farmers Association.
This is how the Oleocanthal International Society was founded.
dr. gary beauchamp
Dr. Gary Beauchamp graduated from Carleton College in 1965 with a bachelor`s degree in Biology. He received his Ph.D. in Biopsychology in 1971 from The Pritzker School of Medicine of the University of Chicago. He joined the newly established Monell Center as a postdoctoral fellow in 1971, was appointed to the faculty in 1973, and attained the Rank of Member in 1981.
-Trained as a Psychobiologist, his research has contributed to advancements in the fields of developmental psychology, physiological psychology, and perception;He also has made important contributions to the fields of genetics, developmental biology, immunobiology, ethology, and molecular biology.
-Considered one of the world`s leading experts on chemosensory science. Dr. Beauchamp serves as a scientific advisor to numerous govermmental and private organizations, including the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and Institute of Medicine.
-In 2009-2010 Dr. Beauchamp served on the Institute of Medicine Committee on Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake in the United States, and after the release of the committee`s report, spoke widely about its recommendations.
-Keywords about his research: Salt, sweet, umami, acceptance, genetics, odortype, MHC, food, choice, development, oleocanthal.
-He is a Vice President and Director of two non-profit Foundations, The Ambrose Monell Foundation and the G. Unger Vetlesen Foundation.
-In 1999 Dr. Gary Beauchamp attended a Congress of Molecular Physics in Sicilia, Italy. During the congress in one of the meals he had the opportunity to taste the Extra Virgin Olive Oil that caught his attention due to his «itching»taste. I reminded him of a drug called Iboprofen they were testing in his lab at the Monell Center in Philadelphia. Back to his laboratory with a sample of Olive Oil (Extra Virgin) began the investigation. With no previous work in Olive Oil and almost no support achieved five years later, finish the investigation. The results of the same were the following:
1.- That the substance investigated was Decarboxymethyl ligustroside Aglycone. Dr. Beauchamp and collaborators called him from then on Oleocanthal (Oleo-Acanthos-al).
2 .- That substance (Oleocanthal) had similar effects to Ibuprofen.
3.- The «itching» flavor of the Extra Virgin Olive Oil that they had analyzed is the main feature of the Oleocanthal.
4.- The researchers also realized that 4 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil rich in Oleocanthal equaled 250mg of Ibuprofen in vitro.
From 1999 to date, a large number of researches have been developed around the world to continue the work of Dr. Beauchamp.
dr. josé amérigo
José Antonio Amérigo, MD, PhD, is Specialist in Dietetic and Nutrition. He started Medical School at the University of Salamanca and finish at the University Complutense in Madrid, Spain.1.969. Got in 1.974 his Doctoral Thesis with Summa cum Laude at the Autonomous University of Madrid. He study Journalism from 1966 until 1969.
-Postgraduate in USA, Holloman AFB, Houston MSC and Lovelace Foundation.
Back in Spain join the Autónoma University(1971) as Assistant Professor, Physiology Department and Assistant to Department Chief of the Research Division at the Hospital Ramón y Cajal (1975), Madrid.
-Hi founds in 1975, the Spanish Medical Trade Union (Sindicato Médico) in 1976 Conduct the first Spanish TV on Health (Escuela de Salud-1976-1979) and launch the first Medical Magazine EL MEDICO. Cofounder of Lavinia, ASISA, private medical Insurance Company.
-Professional working as Nutritionist, Dietetic and Food expert in private practice from 1.984. Collaborate with several Food companies as Consultant (Danone, Arias-Bongrain, JSP, Santiveri, etc). In 1.988 Burson Marsteller contract him to introduce in Spain the BIO from Danone, now known as ACTIVIA.
-In 1997 launch the first Medical TV Channel (MEDICINA TV) and the first Internet Health Channel in Spanish (1999) CANAL SALUD, associated with Planeta Editorial, Telecinco (Mediaset) and PRISA Group (EL PAIS). In 1998 introduce in Spain the Generic Drugs Prescription (RATIOPHARM-Germany).
-Start to work in 2.012 on Extra Virgin Olive Oil composition and the Oleocanthal Molecule, founding the Andalusian Oleocanthal Society (2014) and the OLEOCANTHAL INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY in Zakynthos, Greece in 2015, with Dr. Gary Beauchamp and others. Was named President in 2016.
-During the last TWO Years has been giving more than a hundred Lectures, Seminars and Workshops to Medical, Health Professionals and EVOO Show-cooking.
– Meetings with Producers and Master of Mill and doing Research on Extracting Oleocanthal/Oleaceine and transfer of Phenols when cooking with EVOO with the University of Granada, Córdoba and Sevilla.
-Meetings and Conferences at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, The University of Minnesota and Monell Center in Philadelphia. Four Congress, Zakynthos, Greece, Ubeda-Baeza, Jaén, Spain, Olympia, Greece and The Health Matters Convention in Málaga, Spain.
-In 2016 launch the Contest WBHEC (The world best healthy Evoo contest) that has been celebrated during the last three years.
-In 2018, he founded a new online Publication dedicated to Extra Virgen Olive Oil and the Mediterranean Diet (MD The Way of Life – Mediterranean Diet and Evoo) in Spain.
-In 2019 launches CHEF DOCTOR, specializing in Chronic Disease, with courses, videos, cooking classes and Medicine, catering dedicated to daily food for patients with Chronic Medical Conditions and accompanied by various informative Publications on Gastronomy and Medicine.
Heallth, Olive, Food
córdoba
The idea of a genius who discovered the molecule by chance, Descarboximetil Ligustrósido Aglicona. «Oleocanthal»
zakynthos
The island of Zakynthos was the meeting place of scientists who built The Oleocanthal International Society.
monell Center
Gary Beauchamp and José Amérigo at the office of the Monell Center in Philadelhia.
wbhec
The WBHEC AWARDS for the best healthy EVOO in the world, take place every year.