# How to calculate percentage of and ingredient in a recipe

• April 3rd 2008, 07:25 AM
WileEwonka
How to calculate percentage of and ingredient in a recipe
How does one calculate the amount of an ingredient needed in a recipe if the amount is given in percentage to another ingredient?

What is the methodology?

For example: use 5% cocoa butter to 16 oz of cocoa nibs. How many oz. of cocoa butter is needed? (I'm trying to make chocolate from scratch).

Thanx
• April 3rd 2008, 07:39 AM
mathceleb
Quote:

Originally Posted by WileEwonka
How does one calculate the amount of an ingredient needed in a recipe if the amount is given in percentage to another ingredient?

What is the methodology?

For example: use 5% cocoa butter to 16 oz of cocoa nibs. How many oz. of cocoa butter is needed? (I'm trying to make chocolate from scratch).

Thanx

I think if you only have 2 ingredients, cocoa butter and cocoa nibs, then 1 - 0.05 = 95% is the amount of nibs you have. So, we have a proportion of ounces to percentage:

$\frac {x}{5} = \frac {16}{95}$ where x = # of ounces of cocoa butter you need.

From here, we show the math work --> Proportions

If 2 proportions are equal to each other, then we have:
Numerator 1 * Denominator 2 = Denominator 1 * Numerator 2

Solving for Numerator 1 we get:
Numerator 1 = (Denominator 1 * Numerator 2) / Denominator 2

Evaluating and simplfying using your input values, we get:
x = $\frac {(5 * 16)}{95}$

x = $\frac {80}{95}$

x = 0.8421052631578947 ounces