biological value

American  

noun

1. the nutritional effectiveness of the protein in a given food, expressed as the percentage used by the body of either the total protein consumed or the digestible protein available.

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Etymology

Origin of biological value

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Despite their biological value, shipwrecks can also threaten underwater life by altering or destroying natural habitats, causing pollution and spreading invasive species.

From Salon • Dec. 30, 2023

Forests filter the water we drink, for example, and birds and bees pollinate crops, both of which have substantial economic as well as biological value.

From New York Times • Jul. 14, 2012

But while the public relations value of such special treatment is clear, its biological value is not.

From Time Magazine Archive

Or is music, as M.I.T. neuroscientist Steven Pinker asserts, just "auditory cheesecake," with no biological value?

From Time Magazine Archive

All our cravings and longings and regrets have this biological value; they are the machinery by which nature spurs us on to better adjustment to the conditions of life.

From Problems of Conduct by Drake, Durant