# "Not a significant amount of protein" ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 16, 2005, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-significant-amount-of-protein/312845 "2005-07-16T23:25:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-significant-amount-of-protein/312845/1 "2005-07-16T23:25:39Z")
On a bag of pork rinds that I have, I forget the serving size, but there are 7g of protein, 5g of fat, 0g of carbs. But next to the protein listing it says “not a significant source of protein” - given that the bag contains 70g of protein, I’d say that was pretty significant. So why is it labelled this way? Is there something about the protein that makes it undigestable and nutritionally unavailable or what? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-significant-amount-of-protein/312845/2 "2005-07-16T23:54:34Z")
The protein in pork rinds is mostly [Collagen](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collagen). Glycine, hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine are not nutritionally exciting amino acids. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-significant-amount-of-protein/312845/3 "2005-07-16T23:57:07Z")
The recommended daily allowance for protein is 0.8 g per kilo of body weight, or 60 g or so for someone 160-170 lbs. A recommended serving of pork rinds gives you a little more than 10% of the RDA, and you would have to eat most of the bag to get your RDA. I think it’s likely that if a food gives you less than a certain percentage of the RDA per serving of something, it will be labelled “not a significant source” for that substance. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2005, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-significant-amount-of-protein/312845/4 "2005-07-17T00:01:13Z")
It must be protein of poor quality. The [FDA](http://www.fda.gov/ora/inspect_ref/igs/nleatxt.html) states: > [@](#): > > Protein [21 CFR 101.9©(7)] > > Must be in bold print and expressed in grams. > Declaration of % Daily Value is not required when the food is for adults or children over 4 years of age unless a protein claim is made. > > However, when the food is for adults or children over 1 year of age and the protein is of poor quality, the label should state “0%” in % DV column or state “Not a significant source of protein.” > > The statement “Not a significant source of protein” is required if the food is purported to be for infants and has a Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER) of less than 40 percent of the reference standard (casein). However, I’m not really sure what “poor quality” protein is. Maybe it’s lacking some amino acids? ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2005, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-significant-amount-of-protein/312845/5 "2005-07-17T00:19:14Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > The recommended daily allowance for protein is 0.8 g per kilo of body weight, or 60 g or so for someone 160-170 lbs. A recommended serving of pork rinds gives you a little more than 10% of the RDA, and you would have to eat most of the bag to get your RDA. That’s not true of macronutrients (carbs, fat, protein), but only of minerals and vitamins. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2005, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-significant-amount-of-protein/312845/6 "2005-07-17T00:20:23Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > The protein in pork rinds is mostly [Collagen](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collagen). > Glycine, hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine are not nutritionally exciting amino acids. Does this mean that it’s nutritionally useless? Or does it have some benefit? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2005, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-significant-amount-of-protein/312845/7 "2005-07-17T00:22:42Z")
> [@tremorviolet](#): > > However, I’m not really sure what “poor quality” protein is. Maybe it’s lacking some amino acids? Yup, or it’s made up of amino acids you don’t really need, like the glycine, hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine that makes up a large proportion of the amino acids in collagen. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2005, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-significant-amount-of-protein/312845/8 "2005-07-17T00:32:59Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > That’s not true of macronutrients (carbs, fat, protein), but only of minerals and vitamins. How do you figure? There’s no RDA for fats or carbs, but there is for protein. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2005, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-significant-amount-of-protein/312845/9 "2005-07-17T00:40:40Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > How do you figure? There’s no RDA for fats or carbs, but there is for protein. Is there? My bad, then. Anyway, anything with 7g per serving wouldn’t qualify as “not as signficanct source…” because that’s more protein than 90%+ of food and they don’t carry that label. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2005, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-significant-amount-of-protein/312845/10 "2005-07-17T00:48:20Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Does this mean that it’s nutritionally useless? Or does it have some benefit? Nearly so, yet a backing reference was remarkly hard to dig up. You’d think the government or someone would have a decent nutrition website. Collagen is also the major protein in gelatin. [Wiki has a bit](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin) on the nutritional qualities of that: > [@](#): > > Although gelatin is 98–99% protein by dry weight, the body cannot readily use it. Gelatin is notable for its exceptionally low nutritional value. It is unusually high in the non-essential amino acids glycine and proline, (i.e., those produced by the human body), while lacking certain essential amino acids (i.e., those not produced by the human body). Gelatin is one of the few foods that cause a net loss of protein if eaten exclusively. It contains no tryptophan and is deficient in isoleucine, threonine, and methionine. Several people died of malnutrition in the 1970s while on popular ‘liquid protein’ diets. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2005, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-significant-amount-of-protein/312845/11 "2005-07-17T00:50:31Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Is there? My bad, then. > > Anyway, anything with 7g per serving wouldn’t qualify as “not as signficanct source…” because that’s more protein than 90%+ of food and they don’t carry that label. Not if the protein lacks essential amino acids. Protein needs to be nearly “complete” (IIRC) to qualify as a significant source. That’s because if one tries to live on a diet which lacks even a single essential amino acid, eventually one will get malnourished. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-significant-amount-of-protein/312845/12 "2005-07-18T13:52:22Z")
Makes sense to me. The additional label is solely to tell you not to trust the number of protein grams, since it is misleading. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-significant-amount-of-protein/312845/13 "2005-07-18T16:34:46Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > Not if the protein lacks essential amino acids. Protein needs to be > nearly “complete” (IIRC) to qualify as a significant source. That’s because if one tries to live on a diet which lacks even a single essential amino acid, eventually one will get malnourished. I assume the protein in his pork rinds can still be metabolized for energy, though, right? Very few Americans have anything like a protein deficiency, so it’s not vital that he make sure he gets more. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-significant-amount-of-protein/312845/14 "2005-07-18T22:29:54Z")
It’s not energy metabolism that I’m concerned with, but I was wondering if the protein would serve the same purpose as far as rebuilding muscle as such, or if it were biologically useless. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-significant-amount-of-protein/312845/15 "2005-07-18T22:54:12Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > It’s not energy metabolism that I’m concerned with, but I was wondering if the protein would serve the same purpose as far as rebuilding muscle as such, or if it were biologically useless. Pretty useless. Your body can burn it in a pinch, if you’re seriously malnourished and it’s the only energy source available. But for your body to use it to build something useful would be sorta like trying to build a car out of nothing but sheet metal. ---
**Author:** ![ArnoldIsNumeroUno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@ArnoldIsNumeroUno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArnoldIsNumeroUno)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-significant-amount-of-protein/312845/16 "2006-03-23T01:49:11Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > Pretty useless. Your body can burn it in a pinch, if you’re seriously malnourished and it’s the only energy source available. But for your body to use it to build something useful would be sorta like trying to build a car out of nothing but sheet metal. So what amino acids or foods in combination could make pork rinds a complete protein? ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-significant-amount-of-protein/312845/17 "2006-03-23T02:16:31Z")
What kind of protein do zombie threads need to eat?