Which purine base makes up most of this number?

Hypoxanthine — 100 mg of the 163.9 mg per 100 g total. The rest is guanine 23.5, adenine 22.7, xanthine 17.7.

Is this value for raw or cooked food?

Raw — the source entry is Beef shoulder roast, choice, boneless, raw. Cooking changes water content, so compare like with like.

Why is hypoxanthine the largest fraction here?

Hypoxanthine accounts for 100 of the 163.9 mg total — about 61% of the number.

Beef shoulder roast, choice, boneless, raw

Moderate purine

Beef (other than organs)

Purine content

164 mgper 100 g

The level label is a plain categorization of the number above — not a statement about whether this food fits your diet. See the full disclaimer.

Composition — per 100 g

Purine, total	164 mg
— Adenine	22.7 mg
— Guanine	23.5 mg
— Hypoxanthine	100 mg
— Xanthine	17.7 mg
Fructose	No data available
Calories	125 kcal

Missing figures are shown as “No data available”; values are copied from the sources below and are never estimated. Laboratory values differ between studies and samples.

Where these numbers come from

Purine total and fractions: USDA and ODS-NIH Database for the Purine Content of Foods, Release 2.0 (2025) — USDA analytical data (FDC Foundation Foods program).
Fructose and calories: USDA FoodData Central record #169481.

If you want something similar

Within beef (other than organs), the same table also lists Beef roast, cooked (unspecified) at 124.8 mg and Beef, sirloin, raw at 124.8 mg per 100 g.

From the author

Personal experience of someone living with gout

I eat it as usual between flares and skip it during one.

Personal experience — not medical advice. Read the full disclaimer.

Questions

Which purine base makes up most of this number?: Hypoxanthine — 100 mg of the 163.9 mg per 100 g total. The rest is guanine 23.5, adenine 22.7, xanthine 17.7.
Is this value for raw or cooked food?: Raw — the source entry is Beef shoulder roast, choice, boneless, raw. Cooking changes water content, so compare like with like.
Why is hypoxanthine the largest fraction here?: Hypoxanthine accounts for 100 of the 163.9 mg total — about 61% of the number.

Looking for a different food? Search the full database — every entry there links back to its source, whether or not it has a page like this one. Or browse moderate purine foods.