The olive tree was native to Asia Minor and spread from Iran, Syria and Palestine to the rest of the Mediterranean basin 6,000 years ago. It is among the oldest known cultivated trees in the world, being grown before the written language was invented. As from the beginning of its availability, the Olive Oil has been considered a very important product either from the point of view of feeding or cosmetic or medicinal. Just think that, as well as in cooking, the Olive Oil was used in the games, gymnasium, lighting. In a more recent time many scientific papers have pointed out its health aspect, emphasizing the importance of this food, and stressing that there is a close link between food and health. Not by chance Hippocrates said: "Let Food be your Medicine, and your Medicine be your Food".
The FENÒLIA ®line, mindful to what are the results of studies in these fields, has decided to develop and to offer a range of products (Functional Food, Cosmeceutical and Nutraceutical) based exclusively on Italian Extra Virgin Organic Olive Oil produced in the area of the Iblei Mountains, Val Tellaro subzone, geographically located in the south-east part of Sicily, bordered by the areas of Noto, Pachino Rosolini and Ispica.
The special features of the climate and of the geology of this territory have substantial impact on the crop characterization, making the Olive Oil produced in this area particularly rich of those components (Polyphenols, Vitamin E, Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid) that allow to include it among the field of nutraceuticals components.
Features that arise, as well, from tradition, handed down from the ancient Greeks of Sicily that have brought the olive tree cultivation in the isle, to harvest the olives by end-September through early October, when the olives, ripened in the hot sun of the month of August, hold the highest concentration of aromatic and antioxidative components of the pulp rich in Polyphenols
Dr Corrado Giovinazzo was an executive of the Italian Pfizer Subsidiary "Wyeth Lederle S.p.A." of Aprilia, Latina, Italy (formerly Cyanamid Italia S.p.A.). At present time he is acting as Freelance Consultant within Pharmaceutical Industries in Italy.
He began his working career on October 1968 in the Company "Farmaceutici Procemsa, Turin". From April 1970, uninterruptedly until January 2011 when he retired, he has been working for Wyeth Lederle S.p.A. (formerly Cyanamid Italia S.p.A.) in Catania, Sicily.
On November 2005 the University of Messina, Italy, recognised his academic curriculum as being in conformity with the norms applying to teaching "Pharmaceutical Technology & Legislation" at the Pharmacy School, thus he was there called to teach the afore said subject as from that date, having the opportunity to interact with Colleagues Pharmacologists in the study of the characterization of vegetable products grown in Sicily, in particular Pistachio, Almond and Olive Oil. He is co-author, together with Teachers and Researchers of the Catania and Messina University, of scientific papers in the field of Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Development, with particular care to the latter in the characterization of the healthy components brought by vegetable products grown in Sicily.