Nutritional yeast: why 170 g per cup is wrong
USDA Branded (Savory Nutritional Yeast Flakes) publishes 170 g (6 oz) per US cup of nutritional yeast. This site rejects that figure. The sources it accepts put a cup at 44–128 g (1.6–4.5 oz), and it publishes that range rather than a single figure. The reason:
Product is a savory seasoning blend, not pure nutritional yeast. The 170 g/cup density is dominated by added salt and other seasonings (salt alone runs 273-292 g/cup). Blends do not average their pure components, and seasoning-blend products under the 'Nutritional Yeast' name should be measured on their own labels, not treated as nutritional yeast.
The arithmetic
| Source | 1 cup | Density | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| USDA Branded (Savory Nutritional Yeast Flakes) | 170 g6 oz | 0.7186 g/mL | Rejected on physics |
| Accepted sources (9) | 44–128 g1.6–4.5 oz | 0.186–0.5411 g/mL | Published as a range |
The published figure and its sources
The full sourcing for nutritional yeast, 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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