  Subsequent to the early Universe quark-hadron transition the universal baryon
number is carried by nucleons: neutrons and protons. The total number of
nucleons is preserved as the Universe expands, but as it cools lighter protons
are favored over heavier neutrons reducing the average mass per baryon. During
primordial nucleosynthesis free nucleons are transformed into bound nuclides,
primarily helium, and the nuclear binding energies are radiated away, further
reducing the average mass per baryon. In particular, the reduction in the
average mass per baryon resulting from Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) modifies
the numerical factor relating the baryon (nucleon) mass and number densities.
Here the average mass per baryon, m_B, is tracked from the early Universe to
the present. The result is used to relate the present ratio of baryons to
photons (by number) to the present baryon mass density at a level of accuracy
commensurate with that of recent cosmological data, as well as to estimate the
energy released during post-BBN stellar nucleosynthesis.
