Purine content of Fish roe & caviar
across 4 measured preparations · median 120.6 mg · spans fairly high to extremely high
Across the 4 fish roe & caviar measurements in this database, purine content runs from 80.8 to 375.4 mg per 100 g, with a median of 120.6 mg — a fairly high-purine food.
Avoid or strictly limit — significant gout flare risk.
On this page (5)
Lower-purine seafood
Why the numbers vary
The seafood measured here run from 7.7 mg to 1399.7 mg per 100 g, so the category is a poor guide on its own — which specific food, and prepared how, decides almost everything.
Preparation matters more than the food's name. Milt, globefish measures 375.4 mg, while Roe, mixed species, raw measures 80.8 mg — a difference of 4.6 times. Drying and grilling remove water and concentrate what is left; boiling can move purines into water that is then poured away.
Every form of fish roe & caviar measured (4)
Highest first, each with the preparation that was measured.
| Food as measured | Per 100 g | Level | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milt, globefish | 375.4 mg | Extremely high | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Shishamo with roe, half-dried | 149.6 mg | Fairly high | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Roe, flying fish, in soy sauce | 91.6 mg | Fairly high | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Roe, mixed species, raw | 80.8 mg | Fairly high | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
Questions about fish roe & caviar and purines
Is fish roe high in purines?
Median 120.6 mg per 100 g, fish roe falls in the fairly high band (75–150 mg per 100 g) on the six-level scale used across this site. Individual measurements range from 80.8 to 375.4 mg.
How many purines are in a serving of fish roe?
It depends entirely which preparation. Compared at the same 150 g: about 121 mg for roe, mixed species, raw, about 563 mg for milt, globefish. That upper figure is a like-for-like comparison rather than a serving — dried and concentrated foods are normally used by the spoonful, so their per-100 g value is the fairer read. The table on this page lists both for every preparation measured.
Does cooking change the purine content of fish roe?
Substantially. In this database Milt, globefish measures 375.4 mg while Roe, mixed species, raw measures 80.8 mg per 100 g. Drying and grilling concentrate purines by removing water; boiling can leach some into the cooking liquid.
Where does this fish roe purine value come from?
USDA and ODS-NIH Database for the Purine Content of Foods, Release 2.0 (2025). Values are total purines in milligrams per 100 g of the food as described, and nothing is estimated or averaged across sources.
How does fish roe compare with other seafood?
The median for seafood in this database is 136 mg per 100 g, with a range of 7.7 to 1399.7 mg. Fish roe & caviar is below that median.
Source
- USDA and ODS-NIH Database for the Purine Content of Foods, Release 2.0 (2025) — Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Reference information only. Purine values describe foods, not people: they cannot tell you what is safe for you to eat, and nothing here diagnoses or treats gout. Talk to your doctor or dietitian about your own diet and medication.