Wheat Germ vs. Whole Wheat Flour
Nutrition comparison of Wheat Germ and Whole Wheat Flour
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
wheat germ
versus
whole wheat flour
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in wheat germ and whole wheat flour:
- Both wheat germ and whole wheat flour are high in calories, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, iron, potassium and protein.
- Wheat germ has more thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.
- Whole wheat flour has 74% less saturated fat than wheat germ.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Wheat Germ (Wheat germ, crude) and Whole Wheat Flour (Wheat flour, whole-grain, soft wheat) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both wheat germ and whole wheat flour are high in calories. Wheat germ has a little more calories (8%) than whole wheat flour by weight - wheat germ has 360 calories per 100 grams and whole wheat flour has 332 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, wheat germ is heavier in protein, much lighter in carbs and heavier in fat compared to whole wheat flour per calorie. Wheat germ has a macronutrient ratio of 24:54:23 and for whole wheat flour, 11:84:5 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Wheat Germ | Whole Wheat Flour | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 24% | 11% |
| Carbohydrates | 54% | 84% |
| Fat | 23% | 5% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both wheat germ and whole wheat flour are high in carbohydrates. Whole wheat flour has 44% more carbohydrates than wheat germ - wheat germ has 51.8g of total carbs per 100 grams and whole wheat flour has 74.5g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both wheat germ and whole wheat flour are high in dietary fiber. Wheat germ is very similar to whole wheat flour for dietary fiber - wheat germ has 13.2g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and whole wheat flour has 13.1g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Wheat germ has less sugar than whole wheat flour - whole wheat flour has 1g of sugar per 100 grams and wheat germ does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Both wheat germ and whole wheat flour are high in protein. Wheat germ has 141% more protein than whole wheat flour - wheat germ has 23.2g of protein per 100 grams and whole wheat flour has 9.6g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Whole wheat flour has 74% less saturated fat than wheat germ - wheat germ has 1.7g of saturated fat per 100 grams and whole wheat flour has 0.43g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Whole wheat flour and wheat germ contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - whole wheat flour has 2.7ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and wheat germ does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Whole wheat flour has more Vitamin E than wheat germ - whole wheat flour has 0.53mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and wheat germ does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin K
Whole wheat flour and wheat germ contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - whole wheat flour has 1.9ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and wheat germ does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Wheat germ has more thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate. Both wheat germ and whole wheat flour contain significant amounts of niacin.
| Wheat Germ | Whole Wheat Flour | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 1.882 MG | 0.297 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.499 MG | 0.188 MG |
| Niacin | 6.813 MG | 5.347 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 2.257 MG | 1.011 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 1.3 MG | 0.191 MG |
| Folate | 281 UG | 28 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Wheat germ and whole wheat flour contain similar amounts of calcium - wheat germ has 39mg of calcium per 100 grams and whole wheat flour has 33mg of calcium.
iron
Both wheat germ and whole wheat flour are high in iron. Wheat germ has 69% more iron than whole wheat flour - wheat germ has 6.3mg of iron per 100 grams and whole wheat flour has 3.7mg of iron.
potassium
Both wheat germ and whole wheat flour are high in potassium. Wheat germ has 126% more potassium than whole wheat flour - wheat germ has 892mg of potassium per 100 grams and whole wheat flour has 394mg of potassium.
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 Germ (Wheat germ, crude) and Whole Wheat Flour (Wheat flour, whole-grain, soft wheat) .
Wheat Germ g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Whole Wheat Flour 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 whole wheat flour contain more calories in 100 grams?Both wheat germ and whole wheat flour are high in calories. Wheat germ has a little more calories ( 10%) than whole wheat flour by weight - wheat germ has 360 calories in 100g and whole wheat flour has 332 calories.
Does wheat germ or whole wheat flour have more carbohydrates?
By weight, both wheat germ and whole wheat flour are high in carbohydrates. whole wheat flour has 40% more carbohydrates than wheat germ - wheat germ has 51.8g of carbs for 100g and whole wheat flour has 74.5g of carbohydrates.
Does wheat germ or whole wheat flour contain more iron?
Both wheat germ and whole wheat flour are high in iron. Wheat germ has 70% more iron than whole wheat flour - wheat germ has 6.3mg of iron in 100 grams and whole wheat flour has 3.7mg of iron.
Does wheat germ or whole wheat flour contain more potassium?
Both wheat germ and whole wheat flour are high in potassium. Wheat germ has 130% more potassium than whole wheat flour - wheat germ has 892mg of potassium in 100 grams and whole wheat flour has 394mg of potassium.