Useful for your portion.
This tells you how much of an amino acid is in 100 g of the food as listed. For a 150 g portion, multiply by 1.5. Match the preparation: 100 g of cooked rice is not the same as 100 g of dry rice.
A PRACTICAL GUIDE · 5 MIN READ
What is an
amino acid profile?
Protein is the total.
The profile is what’s inside it.
An amino acid profile lists the amounts of individual amino acids in a food. It lets you compare the composition of different proteins, rather than looking only at total grams.
Compare real foods ↓01 / READ THE NUMBERS
First, check what “per 100 g” means.
Useful for comparing proteins.
This shows the amino acid mix relative to protein itself. It removes the difference in protein concentration. It is not a suggested food portion.
02 / EXPLORE THE DATABASE
See the difference in real foods.
These are selected examples from Aminodata, not a ranking of the best foods. Open a food name for its full profile and source.
All amounts below are grams per 100 g of the listed food.
| Food | Protein (g) | Leucine (g) | Lysine (g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole egg (raw)raw | 12.6 | 1.09 | 0.91 |
| Chicken breast (raw)raw | 22.5 | 1.86 | 2.16 |
| Lentils, cookedcooked | 9.0 | 0.65 | 0.63 |
| Chickpeas, cookedcooked | 8.9 | 0.63 | 0.59 |
| Brown rice, cookedcooked | 2.7 | 0.21 | 0.10 |
| Soy protein isolatepowder | 80.7 | 6.78 | 5.33 |
Values are rounded. The equal-protein view is calculated as amino acid grams per 100 g food ÷ protein grams per 100 g food × 25. It compares composition, not digestibility or practical portion size.
Sources for these examples
- Whole egg (raw): USDA SR Legacy, FDC 171287 (Egg, whole, fresh, raw)
- Chicken breast (raw): USDA SR Legacy, FDC 171077 (Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, raw)
- Lentils, cooked: USDA SR Legacy, Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled (via nutritionvalue.org)
- Chickpeas, cooked: USDA SR Legacy, Chickpeas, mature seeds, cooked, boiled (via nutritionvalue.org)
- Brown rice, cooked: USDA SR Legacy, Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked (via nutritionvalue.org)
- Soy protein isolate: USDA SR Legacy, NDB 16122 (Soy protein isolate)
03 / PUT IT IN CONTEXT
What does an amino acid score tell you?
Aminodata compares the essential amino acid proportions with the WHO/FAO/UNU adult reference pattern. The lowest relative value sets the score. Methionine and cysteine are assessed together, as are phenylalanine and tyrosine.
A score of 100% means the proportions meet that reference pattern. It does not mean a serving supplies your whole day’s requirements. This composition score does not adjust for digestibility and is not a DIAAS score. Reference: WHO/FAO/UNU, 2007.
COMMON QUESTIONS
A few useful distinctions.
Does “limiting” mean an amino acid is missing?
No. It means that amino acid has the lowest proportion relative to the reference pattern. A lower score can reflect a small amount, rather than none at all.
Can a scanned food label give me a full profile?
Only if those amino acids are actually listed or supported by a matching data record. A protein total alone cannot tell us the exact amino acid amounts. Missing values stay unavailable.
Why do similar foods have different values?
Food variety, preparation and water content can change the values. Data sources also differ: USDA distinguishes analytical food data, historic reference data and manufacturer label data. Read USDA’s data documentation.
KEEP EXPLORING