What is the PDCAAS score?
Protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) is a method of evaluating the quality of a protein based on the amino acid requirements of humans and their ability to digest that protein.
Why is this significant?
Unlike for other nutrients, the percent Daily Value (%DV) of protein for a U.S. label is dependent upon the quality of the food’s protein in addition to its gram amount. The quality is indicated by the food’s protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS). When you enter your recipe’s PDCAAS value, NutriCalc will automatically use that value to calculate the protein %DV for your label.
Note: A PDCAAS value is always from 0 to 1. The PDCAAS can be obtained from a lab analysis, from a table or calculated using the limiting amino acid for the food product as a whole.
The formula is = (Protein grams x PDCAAS) / 50 (converted to percents) = %DV.
Example: 100g of black beans contains 9 g protein. Black beans have a .75 PDCAAS.
9g x .75 / 50 = 13.5. Convert to percent and round, and we get 14%DV
How to add PDCAAS score
- Select the recipe.
- Open Details.
- Navigate to the Protein Correction card.
- Enter a number from 0 to 1.
Note: After the number is entered, the %DV for protein will appear on the USA Label.