Label reading
Proprietary Blend Supplement Labels: What a 270 mg Total With No Split Means
A proprietary blend supplement label may list one total weight for a group of ingredients instead of an amount for each. Neuro Mind Pro does this once: the BCAA 2:1:1 blend is 270 mg in total. The other four lines print their own amounts. The split of the three amino acids is not printed.
Written by the Neuro Mind Pro label deskUpdated
The rule01
What is a proprietary blend on a supplement label?
A proprietary blend is a group of ingredients listed under one name with one total weight. Federal rules for dietary supplement labels allow it, and the rule is 21 CFR 101.36 (21 CFR 101.36 (eCFR), Supplement Facts and proprietary blends).
Under the rule, a blend can show one total weight, and the amount of each member does not have to be printed. The cost to a reader is that the split is hidden.
The word proprietary does not mean secret, bad or good, and it does not mean tested or untested. It is a label format. Whether a blend is sound depends on the ingredients and the amounts, and those are the parts a reader may not see. Below, the format is applied to one product, Neuro Mind Pro, as printed on the label image supplied to us.
One name
The group has a name, here “Branched Chain Amino Acids 2:1:1 Blend”.
One total
The weight is for the group: 270 mg.
No split
The amount of each member need not be printed.
On this label02
Where does Neuro Mind Pro use a blend total?
Only on the first line. The BCAA 2:1:1 blend lists L-leucine, L-isoleucine and L-valine under a 270 mg total. The other four lines each print their own amount.
The label image supplied to us lists five amounts per capsule, with no Daily Value established for any of them. That the other lines name their own milligrams is a point in the label's favor for clarity. It does not tell us anything about quality.
| Line | Amount printed | Type of line | Split printed? |
|---|---|---|---|
| BCAA 2:1:1 blend | 270 mg | Blend total | No, ratio only |
| Bacopa monnieri extract | 100 mg | Single extract | Not applicable |
| Rhodiola rosea extract | 50 mg | Single extract, 3% salidroside | Not applicable |
| L-theanine | 50 mg | Single ingredient | Not applicable |
| Panax ginseng extract | 45 mg | Single extract | Not applicable |
The listed actives total 515 mg per capsule, by our addition. Of that, 270 mg, or about 52%, sits in the one blend. Read the full label page for each line.
The ratio03
What does the 2:1:1 ratio tell you, and what does it leave open?
It tells you the proportions: two parts leucine to one part isoleucine to one part valine. It does not say whether the parts are by weight, and it is not an amount.
If the ratio is by weight, the arithmetic gives 135 mg, 67.5 mg and 67.5 mg. That is our calculation, not a printed figure. A ratio could also be set another way, so the numbers are an if-then. In the 2022 review we cite, most studies used mixtures with more leucine than isoleucine or valine (Holeček 2022, Side Effects of Amino Acid Supplements), which fits a 2:1:1 pattern but says nothing about this capsule.
What does 2:1:1 tell you about 270 mg?
If the ratio is by weight: 135 / 67.5 / 67.5 mg. That is arithmetic on the label, not a printed figure. The label prints only the 270 mg total and the ratio.
The label image prints one total for the blend, 270 mg, and the ratio 2:1:1. Rules for proprietary blends let a label do that (21 CFR 101.36 (eCFR), Supplement Facts and proprietary blends). A ratio is not an amount unless the label says what it is measured in. Studied BCAA amounts are on the label-vs-study table. This meter only divides.
Nothing on the label image says how the three amino acids were sourced or made. We do not guess. Our BCAA blend page compares the 270 mg total with the amounts in that review.
Why it matters04
Why might the split matter to you?
For most readers the total is enough to compare with a study. For some it is not, because the three amino acids are not interchangeable in every condition.
Maple syrup urine disease is a condition where the body cannot break down leucine, isoleucine and valine, and they build up (MedlinePlus Genetics, Maple syrup urine disease). The BCAA review says a BCAA load may be detrimental with liver disease and that supplementation in diabetes appears inappropriate (Holeček 2022, Side Effects of Amino Acid Supplements). Those cautions concern the group, so a total is enough to raise the question, but a doctor may want the split.
- Ask the seller whether 2:1:1 is by weight and for the amount of each amino acid.
- Show the label to a pharmacist before the first capsule.
- Keep taking prescribed medicine.
- Read your own bottle: the bottle that arrives wins over any image.
A short test05
How do you check any blend label?
Ask four questions of any blend on any bottle. The answers tell you what you can compare and what you cannot.
What is the serving?
Here it is one capsule, so amounts are per capsule.
What is the total?
Here 270 mg, shared by three amino acids.
Is a split printed?
Here no. Only a ratio is.
Which source will you compare with?
Pick one with a named amount, and note that its products may differ from this one.
A blend format is lawful (21 CFR 101.36 (eCFR), Supplement Facts and proprietary blends), and the FDA does not approve supplements before sale (FDA, Questions and Answers on Dietary Supplements). So the label is the seller's statement, and manufacturers fall under good manufacturing practice rules (21 CFR Part 111 (eCFR), Supplement cGMP) that a label alone cannot show. See our testing and quality page for what we can and cannot confirm.
FAQ06
Neuro Mind Pro questions people ask
What is a proprietary blend?
It is a group of ingredients listed under one name with one total weight. The rule allows the amount of each member to be left off the label.
Which Neuro Mind Pro line is a blend?
Only the first. The BCAA 2:1:1 blend is 270 mg in total for L-leucine, L-isoleucine and L-valine. The other four lines print their own amounts.
How much leucine is in the blend?
The label does not say. If 2:1:1 is by weight, the arithmetic gives 135 mg of leucine and 67.5 mg each of isoleucine and valine. That is our calculation.
Is a blend bad?
No. It is a label format the rules allow. It hides the split, which is a reason to ask the seller for it if the split matters to you.
Can I ask the seller for the split?
Yes. Use the order desk contact on the sales page. We cannot give figures the label does not print.
Does a total of 515 mg mean anything?
It is our sum of the five listed amounts. It does not measure quality or effect, and it excludes the other ingredients.
Who wrote this07
Written and reviewed by
Pages built from the bottle label and linked NIH, CDC, FDA, FTC and peer-reviewed sources.
Last updated . Read our editorial standards and how we check reviews. This website is the information site of a U.S. retail partner for Neuro Mind Pro. It is not the manufacturer, and it is not the sales page where orders are placed. We earn money when you buy through our order links.
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