nutrient
Carbohydrate by difference
A calculated food-composition field that includes dietary fibre.
Educational draft · Human scientific and editorial review pending. About review status
USDA subtracts water, protein, fat, ash and alcohol from the food’s total mass. This is not a direct measurement of starch or sugar.
How it works
What this field means
USDA subtracts water, protein, fat, ash and alcohol from the food’s total mass. This is not a direct measurement of starch or sugar.
Roles and processes
Food energy is accounted for alongside Carbohydrate by difference
Food energy and carbohydrate are separate fields in the USDA record; recipe totals preserve both.
Evidence: Established · Source checked 2026-09-16 · Sources: USDA Agricultural Research Service: Standard Reference Release 28: Documentation and User Guide — nutrient definitions
Related topics
Carbohydrate by difference includes Dietary fibre
The USDA carbohydrate-by-difference field includes dietary fibre.
Evidence: Established · Source checked 2026-09-16 · Sources: USDA Agricultural Research Service: Standard Reference Release 28: Documentation and User Guide — nutrient definitions
Worth knowing
Reading it in a recipe. Do not add fibre or total sugars to this number: they are overlapping fields, not extra carbohydrate. The recipe calculator preserves the source definition.
A closer look
Follow the ingredient record
Open an ingredient to see the exact food description, preparation state and per-100 g values. A known subtotal means at least one ingredient value is missing; it is not a complete total.
References
Source-checked local draft.
Human editorial review pending.
- USDA Agricultural Research Service (opens in new tab)Standard Reference Release 28: Documentation and User Guide — nutrient definitionsChecked 2026-09-16
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (opens in new tab)FoodData Central SR Legacy, April 2018 JSON releaseChecked 2026-09-05
Take it into the kitchen
Explore this nutrient in simple meals. Recipe pages show estimated amounts and missing data.
Lentil mushroom tomato pasta · 25 min →
Kidney bean sweetcorn chilli · 25 min →
Pepper lentil tomato pasta · 25 min →
Compare meals by carbohydrate by difference →