Recipe Calculations

Susanne Westenbrink, RIVM, Netherlands

Mark Roe, Quadram Institute Bioscience

GCRF Workshop on Production, Management and Use of Food Composition Data to

support AFROFOODS

Pretoria, South Africa, 5-9 February 2018

 Why do we need recipes in the databases?

• Impossible to analyse each food due to high costs

• Easy way to add foods e.g. needed for diet counselling and food
consumption surveys

• Several variations possible e.g.

• -porridge made with milk or water
• -different cooking fats.
• -recipes with and without salt
 Recipe:
- Ingredients
- Amounts
- Description
 Recipe Calculation Principle

Calculation based on:

• the amount of ingredients used to prepare a food

• nutrient composition of those ingredients
• factors that consider changes in nutrient content during
preparation
• Weight change during preparation (Yield factors)
• Losses of nutrients during preparation (Retention factors)

European guidelines for recipe

calculation published 2016
– Adopted for use by national
authorities in Czech Republic,
Norway
 How can we use the results?

1. Recipes to calculate composition of

• Missing complex foods, such as cakes, soups, stews
• Missing values e.g. vitamins and minerals in packaged foods

2. Recipes to calculate composition of cooked foods from raw

(recipes with one or two ingredient(s) e.g. raw vegetable or
pasta and water)

3. Averaged foods, e.g. citrus fruit not specified

 Steps in recipe calculation

1. Collect recipes
2. Determine ingredient weights (take into account waste)
3. Calculate the recipe (use calculation programme)
a) Calculate the nutrient values
b) Apply correction for effect of cooking (if applicable)
c) Calculate back to 100 g of edible food
4. Document details of the recipe (including reference)
 Collect recipes

• Selecting of recipes always depends on the goal!

• Should the collected recipes represent

• the dishes eaten by whole population?
• How variable is an ‘everyday’ recipe?
• dishes eaten by specific sub-groups e.g. children, ethnic
groups?
 How to define commonly consumed dishes?

• Use sales statistics

• market leading restaurants, fast food, take-aways or catering companies
 collection of menus
• market leading manufacturers or distributors of ready-to-eat dishes 
collection of labels and recipe leaflets
• most sold ready-to-eat dishes (brands)

• Use data from food consumption surveys

• dishes most frequently consumed
• visit homes and see cooking process

• Use popular cookbooks, magazines, recipe archives on internet

• find out the most frequently published recipes
 Details of the recipe to document:

• Ingredients (common names, scientific names, photos, food id)

• Preparation before cooking (e.g. peeling, cutting)
• Household measures and edible weights per ingredients (use
scale!)
• Cooking method plus cooking time and temperature
• Weight of the final dish (use scale!)
• Source of the recipe (e.g. name of book, URL etc)
• Retention and yield factors
• Edible portions
• Recipe calculation method
• Recipe calculation software
• Nutrient values
 Recipe archive

• Keep copies of the recipe

• paper or pdf
• FCDB

• Also keep older versions

 Now you have a representative recipe...

• Omelette
• 4 eggs
• 1 tomato
• Half a cup of tap water
• 1 spoon of butter
• 0.5 tsp table salt

What do you do next?

 Select food items from food comp table

• Find the best matching food item in your food composition table

• For example
• Flour: white or whole meal?
• Spinach: raw or frozen?
• Oil: which type of oil?
• Tuna: fresh, canned in oil, canned in water?

• Expert view needed based on food consumption data, national

traditions, cooking experience
 Ingredient 2 Weight of
Edible
uncooked Yield factor cooked
Ingredient 1 portion
composite food
uncooked

Nutrient
Nutrient
content of
content of Retention
cooked
uncooked factor
composite
ingredients
food
 Edible portion

Edible portion = edible material remaining

after the inedible waste (bones, stones,
peel etc.) has been trimmed away.

Example. What is the weight of one egg without eggshell?

• Usually expressed as % of the whole food
• Where to find information about edible portions?
• Field work: weigh the edible and inedible portions of ingredient
• From reports
• Cook books
• Food composition tables

• It is recommended to use national coefficients for edible portions!

 What is edible or inedible?

• Depends on cultural norms,

individual preferences and
animal species
• Are the skin and head of fish
edible or inedible?
• Similar situation for meat
cuts, insects, some plants
 Determine edible portion

• Convert household units to gram weights

• 1 egg without shell  55 g
• 1 cup of flour  80 g

• If ingredient has inedible waste:

• Banana weighed with skin = 200 g
• Edible portion = 66%

 200 g * 0.66 = 132 g banana without skin

 Ingredient 2 Weight of
Edible
uncooked Yield factor cooked
Ingredient 1 portion
composite food
uncooked

Nutrient
Nutrient
content of
content of Retention
cooked
uncooked factor
composite
ingredients
food
 Yield factor
Yield factor:
• Term is used for what is retained in weight after food
preparation, processing or other treatment. Weight change is a
result of moisture (e.g. water) and solid (e.g. fat) losses or gains

• Yield factor of e.g. 80% means that 20% of raw weight is lost and
80% retained
 Examples of weight changes
• Loss (water/moisture) e.g. during baking
• Gain e.g. cooking of pasta (water) or frying vegetables or meat
(fat)
• Both gain (fat) and loss (water/moisture) in some processes

• Example: 100 grams of raw pasta needed for 300 g of cooked

pasta

Weight gain is easiest calculated

with water or fat (oil, butter) as
ingredient; take care that
only the part of water that
is absorbed is taken into
account as ingredient amount
 Sources of yield factors
• Yield factors can be determined in experiments: weigh the
ingredients before the cooking and weigh the final weight of dish

• Some factors in reports

• No harmonised yield factors available, because yield factors
depend on cultural norms, cooking method, equipment, time
and temperature.
• It is recommended to use national coefficients for yield factors!
 Ingredient 2 Weight of
Edible
uncooked Yield factor cooked
Ingredient 1 portion
composite food
uncooked

Nutrient
Nutrient
content of
content of Retention
cooked
uncooked factor
composite
ingredients
food
 Retention Factors
• Are used for nutrients retained after food preparation, processing or other
treatment. This is usually applied to changes in water (moisture), fat, vitamin
and mineral content

• Retention factors depend on:

• Cooking method, cooking time and cooking temperature
• Food quality (part of plant or animal, physical state,…)
• Oxygen, light,…

• Factors available from reports,e.g. by Vásquez-Caicedo A. et al. (EuroFIR) or

publications, e.g. Bognar. Based on food groups

• Retention factors can be determined in experiments. Complex protocols

needed
Vitamin C loss when steaming red cabbage

Bognár (1988)
 Recipe calculation systems
Single ingredient recipes
• To calculate from raw to cooked based on one ingredient
Multi ingredient recipes
• Summing nutrient content of (raw) ingredients
• Ingredient method
• Total recipe method
• Mixed method
Choice of method depends on
• Goal of food comp data
• Availability of yield and retention factors
• Available recipe calculation tool (DBMS; INFOODS tool (Excel); tailor
made software)
 Calculation methods in summary
Method Approach
Simple summation Ingredient 1: NV
Ingredient n: NV
------------------------------------
Sum of above
Ingredient method Ingredient 1: NV * 1/YF * RF
Ingredient n: NV * 1/YF * RF
------------------------------------
Recipe: Sum of above
Recipe method Ingredient 1: NV
Ingredient n: NV
------------------------------------
Recipe: Sum of above * 1/YF * RF
Mixed method Ingredient 1: NV * RF
Ingredient n: NV * RF
------------------------------------
Recipe: Sum of above * 1/YF
Based on FAO: UR Charrondiere
 1. Simple summation
• Apply edible factors at ingredient level
• Calculate the nutrient values based on the weight of
each ingredient
• Sum these nutrient values
• Back-calculate to 100 g of (raw) dish

• Use for
• Uncooked foods with raw ingredients; no need for
yield or retention factors
• Average foods
• For cooked foods use cooked ingredients
 Example 1

Omelette
4 eggs
1 tomato
half a cup of tap water
1 spoon of butter
0.5 tsp table salt

Methods applied
1. Simple summation of the raw ingredients
 Sum the weights of ingredients:

Omelette with tomato:

eggs 220 g
tomato 50 g
table salt 1 g
tap water 60 g
butter 10 g
Total 341 g
 Composition per 100 g from FCT

Omelette with tomato

protein g thiamin mg water g
egg raw 12.5 0.1 75
tomato 0.7 0.02 95.4
table salt 0 0 0
tap water 0 0 100
butter 0.5 0 17

Food description is important:

Chicken or duck egg, raw or cooked? Butter/margarine;
which brand? Tomato raw/cooked; with/without skin?
 Summing of raw ingredients

Nutrient value/100 g * weight of ingredient (in g)

Food Protein Amount

Egg 12.5 g/100 g * 220 g = 27.5 g
Tomato 0.7 g/100 g * 50 g = 0.35 g
Table salt 0 g/100g * 1g = 0g
Tap water 0 g/100g * 60 g = 0g
Butter 0.5 g/100 g * 10 g = 0.05 g

Protein total in recipe (341 g) = 27.9 g

Protein per 100 g of recipe:

 100/341 * 27.9= 8.2 g per 100 g

Recipe calculation, FoodComp 2017

 Summing of raw ingredients

weight g protein g thiamin mg water g

eggs 220 27.5 0.22 165
tomato 50 0.35 0.01 47.7
table salt 1 0 0 0
tap water 60 0 0 60
butter 10 0.05 0 1.7
Total 341 27.9 0.23 274.4
Per 100 g:
100/341 * 100 8.2 0.067 80.47

Per 100 g calculated by 100/341 * total nutrient value

 2. Ingredient method

• Apply edible, yield and retention factors at ingredient level

• Sum weights of each ingredient as in cooked recipe
• Calculate nutrient values based on the weight of each ingredient
• Sum these nutrient values
• Back-calculate to 100 g of cooked dish

• Take care that yield factors are also applied to fluids

 3. Total recipe method

• Apply edible factors at ingredient level

• Sum weights of each raw ingredient as in the recipe
• Calculate nutrient values based on the weight of each ingredient
• Sum these nutrient values
• Apply yield and retention factors at recipe level
• Back-calculate to 100 g of cooked dish
 4. Mixed method

• Sum the weight of each raw ingredient in the recipe

• Apply yield factor at recipe level
• Adjust total weight of the cooked recipe
• Calculate nutrient values based on the weight of each ingredient
• Apply retention factors at ingredient level
• Sum these nutrient values
• Back-calculate to 100 g of cooked food

This method preferred method according to EuroFIR standards.

And this is the most often used approach.
 Example 2

Omelette
4 eggs
1 tomato
half a cup of tap water
1 spoon of butter
0.5 tsp table salt

Methods applied
4. Mixed method
 Calculation by mixed method

• Same recipe
• Yield factor: 95%
• Retention factor for thiamin in egg: 0.70
• Retention factor for thiamin in tomato: 0.78
 Apply yield factor to adjust for weight changes

● Raw weight g * yield factor = Cooked weight g

● If e.g. yield factor is 95%  95% of weight is retained during

cooking

● Total cooked weight of omelette will be:

 341 g * 0.95 = 323.95 g
 17.05 g weight loss, this is assumed to be moisture in this
recipe
 Weight of the cooked dish

weight protein thiamineRF water

g g mg 0.70 g
eggs 220 27.5 0.22 RF 165
0.78
tomato 50 0.35 0.01 47.7
table salt 1 0 0 0
tap water 60 0 0 60
butter 10 0.05 0 1.7
subtotal 341 27.9 0.23 274.4
Adjusted 341 *0.95
subtotal = 323.95 27.9
Per 100 g: 100
 Apply retention factor to each ingredient
to adjust for nutrient changes

Thiamin value * retention factor (RF)

Food Value in recipe RF

Eggs 0.22 mg * 0.70 = 0.154 mg
Tomato 0.01 mg * 0.78 = 0.008 mg
Butter/salt/water NA

Different retention factors can be applied to other nutrients

 Thiamin content of cooked dish

weight g protein g thiamin mg water g

eggs 220 27.5 0.22*0.70 165
tomato 50 0.35 0.01*0.78 47.7
table salt 1 0 0 0
tap water 60 0 0 60
butter 10 0.05 0 1.7
subtotal 341 27.9 0.23 274.4
Adjusted 341 *0.95 0.154+0.008
subtotal = 323.95 27.9 = 0.162
Per 100 g: 100
 Calculate the water content of the cooked dish
Note this is the component
water = moisture, not the
ingredient tap water

raw weight – cooked weight = weight loss of total recipe

 341 g – 323.95 g = 17.05 g

Water (moisture) content in raw recipe = 274.4 g

Water (moisture) content of cooked recipe
274.4-17.05 = 257.35 g in 323.95 g of recipe

We assume all weight loss is water (moisture) loss in this

recipe, otherwise RF for e.g. fat should be included
 Water content of the cooked dish

weight g protein g thiamine mg water g

eggs 220 27.5 0.22*0.70 165
tomato 50 0.35 0.01*0.78 47.7
table salt 1 0 0 0
tap water 60 0 0 60
butter 10 0.05 0 1.7
subtotal 341 27.9 0.23 274.4
274.4 -
Adjusted 341 *0.95 0.154+0.008 17.05
subtotal = 323.95 27.9 = 0.162 = 257.35
Per 100 g: 100
 Calculate nutrient content per 100 g of cooked dish

thiamin in recipe = 0.162 mg

weight of cooked dish = 323.95 g

thiamin content per 100 g of cooked dish:

nutrient value 100 nutrient

weight cooked dish * 100 g weight cooked dish * value
 
0.162 mg 100
323.95 g * 100 g=0.05 323.95 * 0.162 = 0.05
mg/100 g mg/100 g

Similar approach for water, protein and other components

 Composition of 100 g of cooked dish

weight g protein g thiamin mg water g

eggs 220 27.5 0.22 165
tomato 50 0.35 0.01 47.7
table salt 1 0 0 0
tap water 60 0 0 60
butter 10 0.05 0 1.7
subtotal 341 27.9 0.23 274.4
Adjusted 341 *0.95 0.154+0.008 274.4 -17.05
subtotal = 323.95 27.9 = 0.162 = 257.35
100 100 100
Per 100 g: * 27.9 * 0.162 ∗257.35
323.95 323.95 323.95
100/323.95 * 100 = 8.61 = 0.05 = 79.44

Finally values need to be rounded off

 Calculate water (moisture) content by difference

• In this example: 100 g food minus

• 8.61 g protein
• 9.67 fat
• 1.51 g carbohydrate incl fibre (CHOT)
• 0.765 g ash
• Results in 79.44 g water/100 g of food

• Results are similar for both approaches if macronutrients add up

to 100 g exactly
 2. Calculate water loss during cooking process

Weight loss (%) = Weight of uncooked ingredients - Weight of cooked ingredients

x100
Weight of uncooked ingredients

= 167100g - 155000g x100

167100g

= 7.2%
 Remarks

• Calculation fits perfectly when sum of nutrients per ingredient =

100 g
• also for water calculated by difference
• Reality is different due to different data sources or missing values
• Results need to be rounded to significant figures
• Recipe calculations need to be considered as estimations.
• Data quality not similar to analytical values
 Compare recipe with and without factors

weight protein thiamin water g Water by

g g mg diff. g

Simple 100 8.2 0.067 80.47 80.47

summation

Mixed method 100 8.6 0.05 79.44 79.44

Higher due to higher density Lower due to loss during

because of weight loss cooking

Largest difference is between applying or not applying factors

Document which method is applied
Use same method for all your recipes; mixed method is preferred
 Single ingredient recipe

From raw to cooked using yield and retention:

• Apply YF to 100 g raw food (if RF is not applicable)
• Nutrient value * 1/yield factor

• Apply YF and RF when both are applicable

• Nutrient value * 1/yield factor * nutrient retention factor

• For water (moisture) of cooked food p 100 g:

(water/100 g – (initial weight- cooked weight)/cooked
weight)*100
 Energy and other derived components

• Calculated from other components

• Calculated using a formula
• Needs to be done using the results of the recipe calculation
 Quality of data inputs: Ingredient information
• Using data sources
– Needs to be accurate!
• Major ingredients (by %) important
• Minor ingredients can also be important
– e.g. salt, salt containing dry ingredients
• Units must be correct
• Specific gravity/Density may need to be considered for some ingredients
• Weight changes during preparation very important
– Usually water loss
• Could be water uptake
• Could be fat displacing water
– Should be measured not estimated
• Some ingredients in a recipe may need to be calculated separately (‘nested’
recipes), e.g.
• Cake toppings
• Pie fillings
• Sandwich fillings
Other types of calculations
 Recipe calculated based on label information

Goal: fill in missing data for industrial foods; mainly vitamins and
minerals

• Recipe based on ingredients on label

• Ingredients listed in descending order; amounts to be estimated
• Trial and error calculations

➢ When calculated macronutrients match with label information,

it is assumed that vitamins and minerals are okay as well
➢ Be aware that results must be regarded as estimations
 Quality of results: Calculated vs analysed values
Comparison of calculated nutrient content with analysed content,
IFR (2015)
Calculated by IFR/NIS
Analysed values from product specifications or analysis by Eurofins Food Testing,
Wolverhampton
• 36 Food products
• ice cream
• sponge cake
• sausage rolls
• pasta products
• cooked meat products
• cereal based snack bars
• granola
• muesli
• crispbread
• savoury crackers
Quality of results: Calculated vs analysed values
Nutrient Number of No. within tolerance % within tolerance
samples
Fat 36 34 94

Saturates 36 32 89

Monounsaturatesa 21 17 81

Polyunsaturatesa 21 20 95

Carbohydrate 36 33 92

Sugars 36 27 75

Starch 36 31 86

Fibrea 33 30 91

Protein 36 27 75

Salt 36 23 64
aAnalytical values not available for all samples

An average of 84% of values within tolerance

– Ranged from 64% (salt) to 95% (polyunsaturates)
 Read more

EuroFIR website http://www.eurofir.org/

INFOODS website http://www.fao.org/infoods/infoods/en/

Machackova, M., Giertlova, A., Porubska, J., Roe, M., Ramos, C. and
Finglas, P. (2018) EuroFIR Guideline on calculation of nutrient
content of foods for food business operators. Food Chemistry
(238), 35-41