Work out food processing yield instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.
Process yield is finished output as a percentage of raw input, and it drives the raw material cost of every kilogram sold: raw cost per kg of output is total raw spend less by-product credit, divided by output. A one-point yield gain in a low-margin process is often worth more than a price rise.
Process yield
Yield % = output x 100 / input
Cost impact
Raw cost per kg output = (input x raw cost - loss x by-product value) / output
Peels, bran, pomace and trimmings usually have a sale value as feed or for extraction. Ignoring that credit overstates the true raw material cost of the main product.
In most food processing the terms are used interchangeably, but recovery sometimes refers specifically to a target component such as oil or sugar rather than total mass.