Scoring Methodology
Every score on Protein Compass is transparent, decomposable, and open. This page explains exactly how we calculate the Protein Compass Score and the Data Completeness Score.
⚡Protein Compass Score (PCS)
A single 0–100 number on every item. Unlike the recommendation engine (which personalises weights to your goal), the PCS is an absolute quality score — the same for everyone. It answers: "How good is this protein source, objectively?"
Formula
PCS = 0.18 × Protein Quality
+ 0.15 × Leucine Density
+ 0.15 × Evidence Strength
+ 0.12 × Digestive Tolerability
+ 0.12 × Ingredient Purity
+ 0.10 × Value for Money
+ 0.08 × Certifications
+ 0.05 × Sustainability
+ 0.05 × ProcessingGrade Scale
Components
Protein Quality
18%Anchored to DIAAS (Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score), the gold standard for protein quality. DIAAS 1.0 → 85/100, DIAAS 1.18 (whey isolate ceiling) → 100/100. Falls back to PDCAAS when DIAAS is unavailable.
Leucine Density
15%Milligrams of leucine per gram of protein, normalised. Leucine is the key amino acid that triggers muscle protein synthesis (MPS). ≥110 mg/g (whey) → 100, ≤30 mg/g → 0.
Evidence Strength
15%Number and quality of real peer-reviewed studies linked to this protein source. Computed from our EvidenceLink graph: study evidence level × link strength × relation weight. No curated evidence → 0 (not fabricated).
Digestive Tolerability
12%Population-level digestibility score factoring in lactose content, FODMAP level, antinutrient presence, and digestive enzyme aids. This is NOT personalised — the recommendation engine handles that.
Ingredient Purity
12%How clean the ingredient list is. Whole foods → 95/100. Powders scored by ingredient count: 1–3 ingredients → 95, 16+ → 40. Editorial override available for nuanced cases.
Value for Money
10%Inverse of cost per 20 g of usable protein, region-aware. ₹10/20g → 100, ₹60+/20g → 15. When price is unknown, score defaults to 50 (neutral).
Certifications
8%Independent third-party testing badges (Informed Sport, NSF, FSSAI, ISO). Powders: 0 certifications → 30, 1 → 55, 2 → 75, 3+ → 90. Whole foods receive a gentler curve.
Sustainability
5%Environmental impact: CO₂ emissions, water usage, and land use per kg of protein. Defaults to 50 when data is missing (per our transparency policy).
Processing
5%Degree of processing. Whole foods → 85–95. Standard powders → 50. Minimally processed / raw → 70. Hydrolysate / ultra-processed → 35.
⚖️ Scientific Weighting Rationale
The relative weights of the PCS formula are grounded in metabolic and clinical outcomes:
• Anabolism & Muscle Synthesis (33% combined): Protein Quality (18%) and Leucine Density (15%) carry the highest weight because bioavailability (DIAAS) and leucine thresholds are the primary biological drivers of muscle protein synthesis, essential to mitigate age-related sarcopenia.
• Clinical Safety & Tolerability (27% combined): Evidence Strength (15%) and Digestive Tolerability (12%) ensure that recommendations are backed by human trials and safe for digestion, avoiding food sources that cause gastrointestinal inflammation or malabsorption.
• Practicality & Purity (40% combined): Ingredient Purity (12%), Value for Money (10%), Certifications (8%), Sustainability (5%), and Processing Level (5%) balance nutritional science with daily affordability, safety, and processing levels.
🛡️ Missing Data & Fallback Protection
To prevent data gaps from distorting scores, we do not use flat default averages (like 50/100) for missing protein quality.
When a product lacks direct DIAAS or PDCAAS testing, Protein Compass employs a source-based estimation fallback:
• Dairy sources (milk, curd, paneer) fall back to an estimated DIAAS of 1.14.
• Soy & plant isolates fall back to 0.90 or 0.80 based on standard isolate composition.
• Gluten & cereal concentrates fall back to 0.25, ensuring low-quality proteins are not artificially inflated by lack of direct testing.
📊Data Completeness Score
Measures how much data we have for an item, not how good it is. An item can have a high PCS but low completeness (e.g., missing image), or vice versa.
Badge Thresholds
| Field Group | Weight | Required for Publish? |
|---|---|---|
| Nutrition (macros) | 15% | Yes |
| Amino acid profile | 15% | Yes |
| Evidence links (≥1) | 15% | No |
| Ingredients list | 10% | Yes |
| Leucine per serving | 10% | Yes |
| Price (any region) | 10% | Yes |
| Product image | 10% | No |
| Heavy-metal panel | 10% | No |
| Third-party testing | 5% | No |
⚖️Scoring Principles
No fabricated data
If we don't have a DIAAS value, we don't make one up. The score honestly reflects unknown with a moderate default.
Source traceability
Every numeric field carries a DataSource tag: label, lab_test, study, manufacturer, USDA, IFCT, editorial.
Transparent weights
The weights are published on this page. If you disagree with 0.18 on protein quality, tell us — and explain why.
No pay-to-rank
No brand pays for inclusion, ranking, score, or visibility. The same formula applies to every product.
Evidence may be Unavailable
Items without curated studies honestly show Evidence: Unavailable. We publish them anyway — the user sees the gap.
Completeness ≠ Quality
A high completeness score means we have data. A high PCS means the data is good. They are independent metrics.
🔀PCS vs Recommendation Score
| Protein Compass Score | Recommendation Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Absolute quality metric | Personalised ranking |
| Varies by user? | No — same for everyone | Yes — goal-tuned weights |
| Components | 9 (incl. certifications, processing) | 7 (incl. region availability) |
| Where shown | Every item card, product page | Quiz results page only |
| Analogy | IMDb rating | Netflix "% match" |
🛡️Plant Protein Sourcing & Safety Guidelines
When transitioning from social media reviews to buying real products online, use this comparison table and checklist to choose and source safely.
| Product / Brand | Primary Source | Protein Yield (per scoop) | Best Suited For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pure soy protein isolate | Soy Isolate (single-source) | ~27–30g | Maximum macro density and cost efficiency |
| Pea + rice blend with digestive enzymes | Pea + Brown Rice Blend | ~24g | Gut sensitivity, enhanced absorption |
| Clean-label plant protein (no artificial sweeteners) | Pea + Rice Blend | ~21g–25g | Ultra-clean label, zero artificial additives |
| Unflavored single-source isolate | Pea or Soy Isolate | ~24g–28g | Pure base to blend with custom ingredients |
| Superfoods-enriched plant protein | Pea + Rice + Herbal extracts | ~25g | Performance tracking with added adaptogens |
1. Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Sourcing
Avoid third-party open marketplaces where batch authenticity can occasionally be compromised. Procure directly from the official verified portal of your chosen brand. Most plant protein brands offer introductory sachet boxes to evaluate flavor palatability and gastrointestinal tolerance before committing to larger tubs.
2. Verify Purity Metrics
Before hitting checkout, ensure the specific batch has a downloadable lab report. Look for the Trustified Pass emblem or an independent Eurofins clearance certificate on the brand's portal. This guarantees the absence of heavy metal contamination and verifies that the protein-to-calorie density matches the label exactly.
3. Maintain High Extraction Efficiency
For pure dietary efficiency, choose "Unflavored" or "Raw" isolate variants where possible. This ensures zero payload of artificial thickeners, gums (like xanthan or guar), or synthetic sweeteners (like sucralose), leaving pure, functional macronutrients that integrate seamlessly into your daily meals.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
Why aren't sprouts among the top recommendations?
Sprouts (moong, chana) are excellent foods but have lower protein density (~7g per 100g cooked) and lower leucine content than dairy or soy sources. You'd need ~400g of sprouts to match one serving of paneer. They're a great complementary food — we recommend them alongside higher-density sources, not as replacements.
What does DIAAS mean?
DIAAS stands for Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score. It's the gold standard for measuring protein quality — specifically, how well your body can absorb and use the protein in a food. A DIAAS of 1.0 means excellent digestibility. Whey protein isolate has the highest DIAAS at ~1.18.
What is PCS (Protein Compass Score)?
PCS is our absolute quality metric that rates every product out of 100. It combines 9 components: protein quality (DIAAS), leucine density, evidence strength, digestive tolerability, ingredient purity, value for money, certifications, sustainability, and degree of processing. Think of it as an IMDb rating for protein products.
Why is leucine important?
Leucine is an essential amino acid that triggers muscle protein synthesis (MPS) — the process your body uses to build and repair muscle. Research shows you need approximately 2.5g of leucine per meal to activate MPS, rising to ~3g per meal for adults aged 60 and above.
📚How We Calculate Nutrition
Every data point in Protein Compass is sourced from one or more of the following:
USDA FoodData Central
Macro and micronutrient composition for generic protein sources.
ICMR-NIN (Indian Council of Medical Research)
Indian Food Composition Tables (IFCT 2017) for region-specific nutrition data.
FSSAI
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India labelling requirements and standards.
Manufacturer Labels
Verified nutrition facts from product packaging for branded items.
Peer-Reviewed Studies
21 curated studies (and growing) from journals including ISSN, PROT-AGE, and KDIGO.
FAO/WHO DIAAS Standards
Official digestible amino acid scoring methodology (FAO 2013).
When data is unavailable for a field, we default to neutral scores (50/100) and disclose the gap. We never fabricate values.
Disagree with our weights? Have better data?
Email proman.associates@gmail.com or open an issue on GitHub.