Fennel seeds: why 192 g per cup is wrong
USDA Branded (Fennel Seeds, unspecified brand) publishes 192 g (6.8 oz) per US cup of fennel seeds. This site rejects that figure. The sources it accepts put a cup at 92.7–104.6 g (3.3–3.7 oz), and it publishes that range rather than a single figure. The reason:
192 g/cup is more than twice the USDA SR whole-seed anchor and physically impossible: whole fennel seeds are elongated hollow crescents with true particle density around 0.9-1.1 g/mL and bulk density around 0.4 g/mL. A cup weighing 192 g would require particles more dense than pure fennel biomass in a 100%-void-free pack, which cannot happen. Almost certainly a labeling data-entry error (possibly a per-fluid-ounce vs per-cup confusion, or a ground-fennel figure mislabeled as whole).
The arithmetic
| Source | 1 cup | Density | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| USDA Branded (Fennel Seeds, unspecified brand) | 192 g6.8 oz | 0.8115 g/mL | Rejected on physics |
| Accepted sources (3) | 92.7–104.6 g3.3–3.7 oz | 0.392–0.4422 g/mL | Published as a range |
The published figure and its sources
The full sourcing for fennel seeds, including every accepted and rejected figure, the state or filling method behind each, and the physics or standards reasoning applied, is on the ingredient page.
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