Which purine base makes up most of this number?

Hypoxanthine — 151.8 mg of the 211.8 mg per 100 g total. The rest is guanine 42.1, adenine 17.6, xanthine 0.3.

Why is hypoxanthine the largest fraction here?

Hypoxanthine accounts for 151.8 of the 211.8 mg total — about 72% of the number.

Tuna, canned, drained solids

High purine

Finfish and shellfish

Purine content

212 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	212 mg
— Adenine	17.6 mg
— Guanine	42.1 mg
— Hypoxanthine	152 mg
— Xanthine	0.3 mg
Fructose	No data available
Calories	128 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 #175158.

If you want something similar

Within finfish and shellfish, the same table also lists Oysters, canned at 107 mg and Cod, Atlantic, wild, raw at 110.3 mg per 100 g.

From the author

Personal experience of someone living with gout

I skip it during a flare; outside one it's part of my protein rotation.

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

Questions

Which purine base makes up most of this number?: Hypoxanthine — 151.8 mg of the 211.8 mg per 100 g total. The rest is guanine 42.1, adenine 17.6, xanthine 0.3.
Why is hypoxanthine the largest fraction here?: Hypoxanthine accounts for 151.8 of the 211.8 mg total — about 72% 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 high purine foods.