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.

🔓Open methodology — challenge it, improve it

⚡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 × Processing

Grade Scale

85–100

Excellent

70–84

Good

55–69

Average

40–54

Below Average

0–39

Poor

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

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

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

Degree of processing. Whole foods → 85–95. Standard powders → 50. Minimally processed / raw → 70. Hydrolysate / ultra-processed → 35.

📊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

🥇

Gold

≥ 90%

All fields present

🥈

Silver

≥ 75%

Strong coverage

🥉

Bronze

≥ 60%

Min for publishing

📋

Draft

< 60%

Needs more data

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"

Disagree with our weights? Have better data?

Email methodology@proteincompass.in or open an issue on GitHub.