How do I show Protein %DV on my Nutrition Facts label?

Using a PER or PDCAAS Value to display %DV Protein on a Genesis R&D Nutrition Facts Label

In order to list % DV for protein on the Nutrition Facts label, you will need to enter either a PER or PDCAAS value. Covered in this article:

• PER
• PDCAAS
• Mathematically Determining the PDCAAS
• Entering PER or PDCAAS in Genesis R&D Foods

PER (protein efficiency ratio) 

PER is the ratio of body weight gain (over a specific period of time) to protein consumed and is used to evaluate the quality of protein in a food item. A food's PER will be a number between 0 and 2.5 and will be determined by a lab. You must have this number in order to use this feature in Genesis R&D. 

Genesis R&D will compare the PER of your food to the PER casein standard (2.5) to determine your product’s corrected protein grams and %DV.  Use PER for labels on products for infants 0 to 12 months.

Calculation Used

Protein grams = [protein per serving x (recipe PER / PER for casein)]
%DV = [(Protein grams / 11*) x 100]

See the "Using a PER Value to Display %DV Protein on a Child Label" tutorial for more details

PDCAAS (protein digestibility corrected amino acid score) 

PDCAAS is another method for evaluating the quality of protein in food. It is used to calculate the protein grams and %DV for Nutrition Facts panels on products for children greater than 1 year but less than 4 years of age, or for products that make a protein claim, including items marketed to adults (ages 4 or up).

You can obtain PDCAAS from a lab analysis or you can determine the value mathematically.

Casein and egg whites have PDCAAS values of 1.0.

A PDCAAS calculated at greater than 1 = 1.

Calculations used

For children age 1 year to less than 4 years old:

Protein grams = [protein per serving x PDCAAS]
%DV = [(Protein grams / 13*) x 100]

For adult labels (4 years and older) that make a protein claim:

Protein grams = [protein per serving x PDCAAS]
%DV = [(Protein grams / 50) x 100]

Mathematical determination of PDCAAS

The PDCAAS may be calculated by multiplying the amino acid score of the recipe by the protein digestibility of the recipe.

PDCAAS = (amino acid score x recipe protein digestibility)

Amino Acid Score

In Genesis, the Protein Quality report shows the amino acid score for your recipe. The recipe amino acid score is the lowest amino acid percentage shown. For example, if the lowest percentage is lysine at 85%, then 85% is the amino acid score. It is important that amino acid data be present for all foods that contribute to the protein total in your recipe in order to obtain an accurate score.

In the ESHA database, amino acid data is more prevalent for USDA whole food items.  Since manufacturers are not required to list amino acid data on their product labels, they do not typically provide this data.  View the Spreadsheet report, with amino acids chosen as the Nutrients to View to ensure that there are no missing values for the foods that contribute to the total protein.

For mixed foods, protein quality must be factored based on the percent of each ingredient that contributes to the total protein value.  The Single Nutrient report can be used to determine which ingredients contribute most to least of the total protein.

Protein Digestibility

The protein digestibility can be determined by a lab, or can be approximated by using existing tables of the protein digestibility of foods. Using tables, the weighted protein digestibility of each recipe ingredient is added together to create the recipe total.

Recipe Protein Digestibility = [(ingredient1 protein digestibility x percent ingredient1 of total protein) + (ingredient2 protein digestibility x percent ingredient2 of total protein) + etc]

See this tutorial for more details

Calculating PDCAAS: An Example

To calculate PDCAAS from the amino acid data:

1. Assuming that amino acid data is complete for ingredients contributing to total protein, Open your Recipe and view the “Protein Quality” report (this is one of the Reports Plus). The Protein Quality report lists the amino acids and their scores. 
2. From this list, find the lowest percentage in the Score column. This is the limiting amino acid and the amino acid score is this number in decimal form.
3. Refer to the protein digestibility table below to see if your ingredients are represented and find the digestibility percent. 
4. Convert both percents to numbers: Example: A Protein Quality Score of 110% becomes 1.1 A digestibility of 82% becomes .82
   The PDCAAS = Protein Quality Score X Protein Digestibility, so 1.1 X .82 = .902.  This is the PDCAAS that you would enter in Genesis R&D.

The following is a list of the protein digestibility of some ingredients:

Ingredient	Protein Digestibility %
Casein	99
Egg white	100
Beef	98
Pea flour	88
Pinto beans (canned)	73
Kidney beans (canned)	81
Seafarer beans	84
Black beans	72
Fababeans	86
Lentils (canned)	84
Lentils (autoclaved)	85
Chickpeas (canned)	88
Peas (century)	83
Peas (trapper)	84
Soybean protein, concentrate	95
Soybean protein, isolate	98
Soy assay protein	95
Pea protein, concentrate	92
Rapeseed protein concentrate	95
Rapeseed protein isolate	95
Sunflower protein isolate	94
Wheat gluten	96
Peanut meal	94
Whole wheat	91
Rolled oats	91
Rice-wheat-gluten	95

Source: “Protein Quality Evaluation,” FAO, Rome 1990

 

Entering PER or PDCAAS in Genesis

1. In Genesis R&D with your Recipe open, click Edit Label on the Recipe ribbon.
2. Click on Nutrient Options.
3. Expand Protein by clicking the plus sign (+).
4. Enter the appropriate PER or PDCAAS value.
5. Click OK.

Regulatory Sources for Protein

US FDA Labeling: Code of Federal Regulations, Protein section 21 CFR 101.9(c)(7)

Canadian Labeling: see the Determination of protein rating on the CFIA site