Wheat Flour vs. Wheat Germ
Nutrition comparison of Wheat Flour and Wheat Germ
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
wheat flour
versus
wheat germ
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in wheat flour and wheat germ:
- Both wheat germ and wheat flour are high in calories, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, iron and protein.
- Wheat flour has 5.8 times less saturated fat than wheat germ.
- Wheat germ has more thiamin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
- Wheat germ is an excellent source of potassium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Wheat Flour (Wheat flour, white, bread, enriched) and Wheat Germ (Wheat germ, crude) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both wheat germ and wheat flour are high in calories. Wheat germ is very similar to wheat germ for calories - wheat germ has 360 calories per 100 grams and wheat flour has 361 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, wheat flour is lighter in protein, much heavier in carbs and lighter in fat compared to wheat germ per calorie. Wheat flour has a macronutrient ratio of 14:82:4 and for wheat germ, 24:54:23 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Wheat Flour | Wheat Germ | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 14% | 24% |
| Carbohydrates | 82% | 54% |
| Fat | 4% | 23% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both wheat germ and wheat flour are high in carbohydrates. Wheat flour has 40% more carbohydrates than wheat germ - wheat germ has 51.8g of total carbs per 100 grams and wheat flour has 72.5g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both wheat germ and wheat flour are high in dietary fiber. Wheat germ has 450% more dietary fiber than wheat flour - wheat germ has 13.2g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and wheat flour has 2.4g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Wheat flour and wheat germ contain similar amounts of sugar - wheat flour has 0.31g of sugar per 100 grams and wheat germ does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Both wheat germ and wheat flour are high in protein. Wheat germ has 93% more protein than wheat flour - wheat germ has 23.2g of protein per 100 grams and wheat flour has 12g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Wheat flour has 5.8 times less saturated fat than wheat germ - wheat germ has 1.7g of saturated fat per 100 grams and wheat flour has 0.24g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Wheat flour and wheat germ contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - wheat flour has 0.6ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and wheat germ does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Wheat flour has more Vitamin E than wheat germ - wheat flour has 0.4mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and wheat germ does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin K
Wheat flour and wheat germ contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - wheat flour has 0.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and wheat germ does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Wheat germ has more thiamin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6. Both wheat flour and wheat germ contain significant amounts of riboflavin, niacin and folate.
| Wheat Flour | Wheat Germ | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.812 MG | 1.882 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.512 MG | 0.499 MG |
| Niacin | 7.554 MG | 6.813 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.438 MG | 2.257 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.037 MG | 1.3 MG |
| Folate | 183 UG | 281 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Wheat germ has 160% more calcium than wheat flour - wheat germ has 39mg of calcium per 100 grams and wheat flour has 15mg of calcium.
iron
Both wheat germ and wheat flour are high in iron. Wheat germ has 42% more iron than wheat flour - wheat germ has 6.3mg of iron per 100 grams and wheat flour has 4.4mg of iron.
potassium
Wheat germ is an excellent source of potassium and it has 792% more potassium than wheat flour - wheat germ has 892mg of potassium per 100 grams and wheat flour has 100mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, wheat germ has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than wheat flour per 100 grams.
| Wheat Flour | Wheat Germ | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.043 G | 0.723 G |
| Total | 0.043 G | 0.723 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, wheat germ has more linoleic acid than wheat flour per 100 grams.
| Wheat Flour | Wheat Germ | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.685 G | 5.287 G |
| Total | 0.685 G | 5.287 G |
Customize your serving size
The comparison below is by common portions, e.g. cups, packages. You can also see a more concrete comparison by weight at equal weight (by grams) comparison.
Note: The specific food items compared are: Wheat Flour (Wheat flour, white, bread, enriched) and Wheat Germ (Wheat germ, crude) .
Wheat Flour g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Wheat Germ g
()
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCAL % |
|
5% | calories | 5% |
|
KCAL % | |
| G % |
|
5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
| G % |
|
5% | total fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | saturated fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | monounsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | polyunsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | trans fat | 5% | G | |||
| MG | 5% | cholesterol | 5% | MG | |||
| MG % |
|
5% | sodium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| IU % |
|
5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
|
IU % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | calcium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | iron | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | magnesium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| G % |
|
5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | molybdenum | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | phosphorus | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | selenium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | zinc | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||
FAQ
Does wheat germ or wheat flour contain more calories in 100 grams?Both wheat germ and wheat flour are high in calories. Wheat germ is quite similar to wheat germ for calories - wheat germ has 360 calories in 100g and wheat flour has 361 calories.
Does wheat germ or wheat flour have more carbohydrates?
By weight, both wheat germ and wheat flour are high in carbohydrates. wheat flour has 40% more carbohydrates than wheat germ - wheat germ has 51.8g of carbs for 100g and wheat flour has 72.5g of carbohydrates.
Does wheat germ or wheat flour contain more iron?
Both wheat germ and wheat flour are high in iron. Wheat germ has 40% more iron than wheat flour - wheat germ has 6.3mg of iron in 100 grams and wheat flour has 4.4mg of iron.
Does wheat germ or wheat flour contain more potassium?
Wheat germ is a rich source of potassium and it has 790% more potassium than wheat flour - wheat germ has 892mg of potassium in 100 grams and wheat flour has 100mg of potassium.