Plant Databases

Tofu and tempeh database coverage: comparing five tracking apps on plant-protein staples

8 tofu varieties and 4 tempeh forms across PlateLens, Cronometer, MyFitnessPal, MacroFactor, and Lose It!

The tofu and tempeh audit is the single most-revealing test of how a tracker app handles plant-based protein staples. Tofu has eight common varieties in the US market with significantly different nutrient profiles, and the calcium-set vs nigari-set distinction changes calcium content by an order of magnitude per serving. Tempeh has four common forms with distinct sodium and calorie profiles. A tracker that lumps all tofu into one entry and all tempeh into another is misleading by clinically-meaningful margins.

This audit covers the 8 tofu and 4 tempeh varieties as our reference set. The audit was run in March 2026 and methodology follows the site’s published approach.

The 8-variety tofu reference

Our reference set:

1. Calcium-set firm tofu (calcium sulfate coagulant). Most common in US supermarkets. Approximately 350 mg calcium per 100 g.
2. Calcium-set extra-firm tofu. Pressed harder, lower water content. Calcium similar to firm.
3. Calcium-set silken tofu. Custard-like texture. Calcium per gram similar to firm tofu by weight, but typical serving sizes are different.
4. Nigari-set firm tofu (magnesium chloride coagulant). More common in Asian markets and artisan brands. Approximately 110 mg calcium per 100 g.
5. Nigari-set silken tofu. Same coagulant story as firm.
6. Smoked tofu. Pre-flavored, sodium-loaded. Calorie density higher.
7. Baked tofu. Pre-flavored, marinade-loaded. Variable calorie and sodium.
8. Sprouted tofu. Made from sprouted soybeans. Slightly different micronutrient profile (some vendors claim higher mineral bioavailability).

Audit results

Summary scores out of 8: PlateLens 8, Cronometer 6, MyFitnessPal 1 (top hit reliability is the relevant scoring), MacroFactor 4, Lose It! 1.

The MyFitnessPal score is harsh but accurate: the database has many tofu entries but the coagulant is rarely specified, and the top search hit for “tofu firm” is frequently a user-submitted entry that does not distinguish calcium-set from nigari-set. A user logging this entry could be off by a factor of three on calcium without realizing it.

Why this matters clinically

A plant-based client eating 200 g of calcium-set firm tofu daily is getting roughly 700 mg of calcium from tofu alone, which is the majority of their daily target. The same client eating 200 g of nigari-set firm tofu is getting roughly 220 mg, leaving a 480 mg gap that they may not be making up elsewhere.

Tracking-app databases that conflate these varieties produce calcium numbers that look similar regardless of which tofu the client actually eats. This is the kind of failure mode that misleads clinical decision-making — the client believes they are at calcium target when they may be substantially below it.

The fix is not complicated: read the package, choose the right database entry, and the numbers reflect reality. But the tracker has to support the choice by surfacing distinct entries, and not all of the audited apps do.

Tempeh varieties

Our reference set:

1. Plain soy tempeh. The standard. Roughly 320 kcal and 31 g protein per cup cooked.
2. Multigrain tempeh. Soy plus barley, brown rice, or millet. Slightly different macro profile, somewhat more carbs.
3. Flax tempeh. Adds flax to the substrate. Higher ALA content.
4. Smoked tempeh. Pre-flavored, higher sodium.

PlateLens recognizes 4 of 4. Cronometer recognizes 3 cleanly with flax tempeh requiring a custom entry. MyFitnessPal has many entries for plain soy tempeh but the smoked and flax variants are user-submitted with quality concerns.

What the audit does not measure

The audit measures database recognition and coagulant specification on the top search result. It does not measure:

• The full nutrient panel accuracy on each entry (we spot-checked but did not exhaustively validate).
• Photo-recognition accuracy on tofu varieties (PlateLens-specific). Anecdotally, PlateLens distinguished firm from silken in our test photos but did not visually distinguish calcium-set from nigari-set (since the package usually contains that information and the photo recognition uses package recognition where available).
• Recipe-builder behavior when the user combines tofu with other ingredients.

These are areas for follow-up.

Implications for app choice

For plant-based clients whose calcium intake matters — pregnant clients, post-menopausal clients, clients with low-normal ferritin or DEXA-confirmed bone-density concerns — the tofu coagulant distinction matters and the tracker app should support it. Use Cronometer or PlateLens, and read the package.

For plant-based clients using MyFitnessPal who do not need clinical-grade calcium tracking, the unspecified-coagulant entries are not catastrophic but they are a source of meaningful error. Consider switching trackers if calcium starts to matter clinically.

For more on calcium-set vs nigari-set tofu and the calcium intake question generally, see our calcium piece. For more on plant-based protein quality and tempeh fermentation effects, see the plant protein quality piece.

The validation evidence supporting our database accuracy claims for PlateLens specifically comes from the Dietary Assessment Initiative’s 2026 study. The study did not stratify by tofu variety, but the per-meal residuals on plant-based meals were consistent with our database audit findings.

Summary

Tofu and tempeh database coverage is the most-revealing single test of plant-based tracker fitness. PlateLens and Cronometer pass; MyFitnessPal fails on coagulant specification; MacroFactor and Lose It! are mid-tier. For plant-based clinical work, prefer the apps that distinguish the varieties.

Audit version 1.3, March 2026. Re-audit scheduled for September 2026.

Topics: tofu database · tempeh tracking app · calcium-set tofu · nigari tofu calcium · vegan database audit