2x Quantity Scaler
applies to: nutraCoster 2.1, nutraCoster 3.0, nutraCoster Cloud
The 2x Quantity Scaler tells nutraCoster how to adjust ingredient quantities when you ask it to scale recipes to different batch sizes.
You scale recipes by specifying the batch size when you create any of the nutraCoster recipe reports. nutraCoster can create any report for any batch size.
The 2x Quantity Scaler should almost always be set to 2.
Specifically, the 2x Quantity Scaler tells nutraCoster how to adjust the ingredient quantity when the recipe yield is doubled (this means the Batch Size for the report is exactly twice the Processing Yield (nutraCoster 2.1) or the Finishing Yield (nutraCoster 3.0) of the recipe).
When the 2x Quantity Scaler is set to 2 it means that when you ask nutraCoster for a double recipe, the ingredient quantity will be multiplied by 2. You will rarely have a need to change this value.
Here is an example that illustrates how it works:
Suppose you have a recipe that yields 100 lbs (the Processing Yield (nutraCoster 2.1) or Finishing Yield (nutraCoster 3.0) is 100 lbs). It uses 10 lbs of an ingredient. If you ask nutraCoster for a batch size of 200 lbs, it will multiply the ingredient quantity by 2 and tell you you need 20 lbs of the ingredient.
If the 2x Quantity Scaler for this ingredient were 1.9, then when you ask nutraCoster for a batch size of 200 lbs, nutraCoster would multiply the ingredient quantity by 1.9 and tell you you need 19 lbs of the ingredient.
nutraCoster uses this relationship to calculate the ingredient quantity for any size batch. For example, if you ask for a 400 lbs batch, the ingredient quantity would be multiplied by 1.9 to go to 200 lbs, then multiplied by 1.9 again to get to 400 lbs. The ingredient quantity would be 36.1 lbs.
Mathematically, this is an exponential (or logarithmic) relationship. The appendix in the nutraCoster manual and Help includes a graph of the relationship between recipe yield and ingredient quantity for various 2x Quantity Scalers.
For most ingredients you will want to leave the scaler set to 2. However, for some leavening agents, such as yeast, you might not need to use twice as much for a double batch.