Is Meat High or Low in Biological Value?

November 19, 2025 •

4 min read

According to nutritional science, most animal proteins have a very high biological value, often approaching 100%. This places meat firmly in the high category when discussing its protein quality and how efficiently the human body can utilize it.

Quick Summary

Meat contains high-quality protein with a high biological value, meaning it provides all essential amino acids in proportions the body can readily use. This makes it an effective source for muscle growth and maintenance compared to most plant proteins, though cooking and fat content can influence its overall quality.

Key Points

High Biological Value: Meat is classified as a high biological value (HBV) protein source, meaning the protein it contains is used efficiently by the human body.
Complete Protein: Meat provides all nine essential amino acids in sufficient quantities, which are the building blocks your body needs but cannot produce on its own.
High Digestibility: The proteins in meat are highly digestible, which ensures that a large percentage of the absorbed protein is retained and utilized by the body.
Influencing Factors: The specific cut of meat, its connective tissue content, and cooking methods can slightly alter its overall biological value.
Plant vs. Animal Protein: While most plant proteins have a lower biological value individually, a diverse diet combining complementary plant proteins can also provide all essential amino acids effectively.

Understanding Biological Value

Biological value (BV) is a measure of the proportion of absorbed protein from a food that is incorporated into the proteins of the organism's body. It essentially indicates how efficiently your body can use the protein you eat for growth and maintenance. The BV is determined by how closely the amino acid profile of a food matches the body's needs. A high BV score means the protein is a "complete protein," containing all nine essential amino acids in the right proportions. These essential amino acids cannot be synthesized by the human body and must be obtained from the diet.

Why Meat Has a High Biological Value

Meat and other animal products are considered high in biological value primarily because their amino acid composition closely resembles our own. This means that when you consume meat, your body can use the absorbed protein with very high efficiency. Animal muscle is a rich source of amino acids and other nutrients, making it a very effective building block for human tissue. The consistency of meat protein's amino acid profile, regardless of the cut (with exceptions for very high connective tissue cuts), ensures its high quality.

Key Contributors to Meat's High BV

Complete Protein Source: Meat contains all nine essential amino acids required for human health.
High Digestibility: The protein in meat is highly digestible, ensuring that a large proportion of the amino acids are absorbed and made available to the body.
Nutrient Density: Beyond protein, meat is packed with crucial micronutrients like B vitamins (especially B12), iron, zinc, and selenium, which support overall metabolic functions.

Comparing Biological Values: Animal vs. Plant Protein

The difference in biological value between animal and plant proteins is a key consideration for dietary planning. While a varied diet can ensure all needs are met, single plant sources are often incomplete, meaning they lack or are low in one or more essential amino acids. Meat offers a single, convenient source of all these building blocks. To illustrate the difference, here is a comparison table of different protein sources:


Food Source	Typical BV Score (Relative to Egg=100)	Completeness of Protein	Notes
Whey Protein	~104	Complete	Exceptional amino acid profile and bioavailability.
Egg (Whole)	100 (Reference)	Complete	Often used as the gold standard for protein quality.
Beef	~80	Complete	High in all essential amino acids, very digestible.
Fish	~76	Complete	Excellent source of high-quality protein.
Cow's Milk	~91	Complete	Contains both whey and casein protein.
Soybean	~74	Complete	One of the few complete plant proteins.
Quinoa	~83	Complete	Considered a complete plant protein.
Whole Wheat	~64	Incomplete	Often limited by the amino acid lysine.

Note: Some BV scores are listed relative to the biological value of a whole egg (BV=100), which itself has a true percentage BV of approximately 93.7%.

Can Plant Proteins Be High Quality?

Yes, but it requires more careful planning. While most individual plant proteins are considered to have a low biological value due to their incomplete amino acid profile, they can be combined to form a higher-quality protein. This is known as protein combining. For example, legumes (like lentils or beans) are rich in lysine but low in methionine, whereas grains (like rice) are low in lysine but higher in methionine. By eating them together, as in the classic rice and beans dish, you create a complete protein source with a higher collective biological value. However, the notion that complementary proteins must be eaten in the same meal to be effective is a misconception; consuming a variety of plant proteins throughout the day is sufficient.

Factors that Can Affect Meat's Biological Value

While meat generally boasts a high BV, several factors can influence its specific nutritional quality:

Cut of Meat: Lean cuts of meat have a higher protein concentration and lower saturated fat than fattier cuts. Cheaper cuts with more connective tissue (e.g., collagen) will have a slightly lower biological value than premium cuts with a higher proportion of muscle protein.
Processing and Cooking: Overcooking meat can cause some essential amino acids, like lysine, to become less available. Similarly, heavily processed meats may have a lower nutritional value compared to fresh, lean cuts due to the addition of fats, salts, and preservatives.
Animal's Diet and Genetics: The feed an animal consumes can influence the fat content and fatty acid profile of its meat, though the core protein quality remains high.

Conclusion

In summary, meat is an excellent source of protein with a high biological value, providing all essential amino acids in a readily digestible format. For the human body, this means meat offers highly efficient protein utilization for muscle building, maintenance, and other vital functions. While a well-planned diet combining various plant-based protein sources can also meet amino acid needs, meat offers a simpler, single-source solution for obtaining high-quality protein. Understanding the concept of biological value helps explain why animal proteins like meat are so effective, though it's important to remember that a balanced diet and lean cuts are key for overall health.

Frequently Asked Questions

Biological value is a metric that measures how efficiently the body can absorb and utilize a protein from a specific food source. A higher score indicates better utilization for body functions like growth and repair.

No, not all cuts are equal. While most meat is high quality, cuts with higher amounts of connective tissue, like shin, have a slightly lower biological value than leaner cuts with a higher muscle protein concentration, such as fillet.

Yes, cooking can have a minor effect. While the impact is generally minimal, severe overcooking can reduce the availability of some essential amino acids, slightly lowering the overall biological value.

Yes, they can. Vegetarians can obtain high biological value protein from eggs and dairy, while vegans can combine different plant-based foods, such as rice and beans, to create a complete protein with a higher biological value.

Whey protein often has a slightly higher relative biological value score than meat, sometimes exceeding 100 on the scale where egg is 100. However, this is largely due to the specific testing methodology, and both are excellent sources of high-quality, complete protein.

No, other metrics, like the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS), are also used. While BV is useful, it is just one of several tools for evaluating protein quality and does not account for digestibility.

A protein with a low biological value is missing or low in one or more essential amino acids. The body cannot effectively use this protein to build and repair tissues, as the missing amino acid creates a bottleneck in protein synthesis.