Biological Value
A measurement of protein quality expressing the rate of efficiency with which protein is used for growth.
The egg is a complete protein food because egg protein has all nine of the essential amino acids (as well as all nine of the non-essential amino acids). Scientists often use egg protein as the standard against which they judge all other proteins. Based on the essential amino acids it provides, egg protein is second only to mother’s milk for human nutrition. A Large egg contains 6.29 grams of high-quality protein, about 12.6% of the Daily Reference Value (DRV) for protein.
On a scale, with 100 representing top efficiency, these are the biological values of proteins in several foods.*
– See Nutrient, Protein
| Whole egg |
93.7 |
| Milk |
84.5 |
| Fish |
76.0 |
| Beef |
74.3 |
| Soybeans |
72.8 |
| Rice, polished |
64.0 |
| Wheat, whole |
64.0 |
| Corn |
60.0 |
| Beans, dry |
58.0 |
* Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The Amino Acid Content of Foods and Biological Data on Proteins, Nutritional Study #24. Rome (1970).
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