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Polyphenols and ‘activated’ seed oils drive healthy oil innovation

High-polyphenol olive oil shots, "activated" seed oils, and vitamin D-fortified sunflower oil are among the latest product innovations in the edible oil space.

Oil is a staple in diets across the globe, but traditional oils only go so far in satisfying the demands of today’s increasingly conscious and discerning consumers.

At a glance:

• High-polyphenol olive oils are being positioned as health and longevity products, with some brands launching concentrated shots.
• Seed oil innovation includes enhancement through germination, activation, and fortification, as well as the development of fruit-based alternatives.
• Genetic engineering is expanding the nutritional potential of vegetable oils.

The industry is responding with innovation that addresses evolving health and nutrition priorities, as well as sustainability and sourcing concerns. And where nature alone cannot deliver, science is stepping up and filling the gaps.

Olive oil shots capitalise on polyphenol content

High-polyphenolic olive oil is an area that has seen a number of introductions in recent times. Olive oil naturally has a high polyphenol content. The threshold for making health claims in the EU is 250mg/kg of antioxidants, and certain cultivars and terroir conditions produce oils with levels of polyphenols that far exceed this baseline requirement.

For example, when olive trees are cultivated in harsh desert environments, they undergo severe stress. In response, they produce significantly higher concentrations of antioxidants, yielding a so-called nutrient surge of polyphenols and hydroxytyrosol in the resulting oil.

In the US, Gundry MD, Dr Steven Gundry’s food and supplements brand, has capitalised on this natural phenomenon, marketing a polyphenol-rich olive oil that it claims is “supercharged” with up to 30 times more hydroxytyrosol polyphenols than conventional olive oils. It won the title of “Best Health Innovation” at the 2025 World Food Innovation Awards.

Croatia’s Dalmatia Oil is another olive oil brand that has recognised that a high-polyphenol content sells. Earlier this year it launched Vita Blend “to meet surging demand for functional, longevity-focused oils among health-conscious consumers seeking measurable wellness benefits”. Providing 1500ml polyphenols/kg, Vita Blend is said to be Croatia's highest-polyphenol olive oil.

The higher the polyphenol content, the less consumers need to take to derive a health benefit. Spotting an opportunity here, some brands are moving olive oil into shot territory.

In June, Kosterina launched its Greek-origin Extra Virgin Olive Oil Shots at Whole Foods Market and Sprouts Famers Market in the US. Two months earlier, Oleaphen’s high-polyphenol olive oil shots launched in the UK for the first time. Oleaphen claims to contain up to 45 times the polyphenols of standard extra virgin oils (2,236mg/kg) and uses nitrogen-flushed seaweed pods to protect the bioactive compounds.

Seed oils: Alternatives, activation, and fortification

In the US, bolstered by social media influencers and senior political figures, anti-seed oil sentiment has surged.

This has fuelled innovation in seed oil-free oil, with the notable example of Zero Acre Farms’ organic fera fruit oil. Launched in April and named “Best Health Innovation” at the 2026 World Food Innovation Awards, the oil is pressed from the antioxidant-rich fruit of the South American fera fruit (Oleifera x Guineensis) tree. In the US, it is being adopted by the food service industry as a replacement frying oil for canola and soybean oils.

While some consumers are turning their backs on refined seed oils on as a result of negative press, raw, cold-pressed seed oils remain popular.

Some brands are making these healthy seed oils even healthier by introducing activation and germination into the equation. Germination enhances the nutritional profile of seeds through enzymatic activation. This process breaks down macro-nutrients and boosts bioactive compounds.

Living Food International’s germinated flaxseed oil is an example of a product that is harnessing the power of germination. It is produced via a combination of germination and cold-pressing, a process that is said to enhance nutrient absorption, delivering a more bioavailable oil rich in omega-3s, lignans, and vitamin E. The germination step activates enzymes, which is said to boost nutrient concentration without chemicals or solvents.

The same company has developed an organic sprouted and cold-pressed black cumin (nigella) oil, which launches in the UK in September. As with the flaxseed oil, Living Food is using a germination process that activates the seeds to unlock the plant’s full potential. The result is an oil with a guaranteed thymoquinone content of 380mg/100ml.

Another strategy for making seed oils more appealing is fortification. Ukraine brand I’m a Natural has taken this approach, with sunflower oil enriched with vitamin D. Launched in winter 2025, it addresses the seasonal lack of sunlight by delivering a daily dose of vitamin D.

GM camelina oil as sustainable fish oil alternative

Innovation is addressing another deficiency too, namely the absence of EPA and DHA in vegetable oils.

“No vegetable oil contains EPA or DHA, the omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids found in fish oils and known to be health-beneficial in terms of reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and related metabolic pathologies,” said Johnathan Napier, flagship leader at Rothamsted Research.

For the past few years, Napier has been running the omega-3 project at Rothamsted, with the aim of developing new crops that contain the omega-long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (such as EPA+DHA) that are normally only found in fish and other marine sources.

By adding genes from algae to get the plants to make these omega-3s, the project has yielded a novel camelina oil containing EPA+DHA.

“There is great potential for this novel oil as there is strong and increasing demand for alternative sources of EPA+DHA, based on the proven health benefits of these fatty acids. Currently, the dominant source of these fatty acids is from fish oils, but this is a diminishing natural resource. So the unmet demand is very high,” Napier told this publication.

However, the fact the oil is derived from a GM plant is currently a major barrier to its commercialisation, he explained.

“The biggest challenge in wide adoption of the EPA+DHA camelina oil is that is derived from a GM plant, meaning that it is subject to get a lot of regulatory oversight which needs to be obtained prior to commercial release,” said Napier. “On the positive side, the regulation of GM crops has got easier world-wide, even in Europe, so hopefully these new traits will advance to market.”