Fresh Lemon Juice: why 224 g per cup is wrong
King Arthur Baking Ingredient Weight Chart publishes 224 g (7.9 oz) per US cup of fresh lemon juice. This site rejects that figure and publishes 244 g (8.6 oz) instead, from USDA SR Legacy "Lemon juice, raw" (FDC 167747) (density 1.0313 g/mL, matching the composition of the substance). The reason:
0.947 g/mL is lighter than water, but lemon juice is water carrying 5-8% dissolved citric acid and 1-3% sugars, both denser than water; USDA measures 244 g per cup (1.031 g/mL). A tablespoon is half a fluid ounce, and 14 g is half a weight ounce: the fluid ounce read as a weight ounce, the pattern behind King Arthur's 227 g cups of milk, cream and water.
The arithmetic
| Source | 1 cup | Density | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| King Arthur Baking Ingredient Weight Chart | 224 g7.9 oz | 0.9468 g/mL | Rejected on physics |
| USDA SR Legacy "Lemon juice, raw" (FDC 167747) | 244 g8.6 oz | 1.0313 g/mL | Published here |
The published figure and its sources
The full sourcing for fresh lemon juice, 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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