Your Wheat Looks Sound. What Can Falling Number Testing Tell You?
An article from the desk of Moses Palmer, Business Development Manager, Senior Seed Analyst, 20/20 Seed Labs Inc.
A wheat sample can look sound while changes inside the kernel are already affecting its suitability for milling and baking. Falling Number testing helps growers and grain buyers look beyond appearance by estimating the activity of alpha-amylase, an enzyme that breaks down starch. After wet harvest conditions, that information can help clarify end-use quality before marketing decisions are made.
What does Falling Number measure?
When a seed begins to germinate, alpha-amylase helps turn stored starch into simpler sugars that provide energy for the growing embryo. That is a normal part of germination. For wheat intended for milling and baking, however, elevated enzyme activity can create quality concerns.
Some alpha-amylase activity is useful in breadmaking. Excessive activity can affect dough handling, crumb structure, slice ability and loaf quality. Falling Number provides an indication of this activity rather than relying only on how kernels look.
Why appearance does not tell the whole story:
Preharvest sprouting can occur when mature grain encounters conditions that allow germination to begin. Rain, heavy dew, and repeated wetting around harvest can increase the risk, including in swathed crops.
The important changes can begin inside the seed before an obvious sprout appears. Visual inspection is useful, but it does not show the extent of enzyme activity in the sample.
Preharvest sprouting is also not the only explanation for a low result. Late maturity alpha-amylase, or LMA, can occur during grain development in response to temperature changes. A low Falling Number therefore needs context; it should not automatically be treated as proof of visible sprouting.
How the test works:
In the laboratory, a representative grain sample is ground and mixed with water. The mixture is heated and stirred, then a stirrer is released to fall through it. The reported Falling Number is measured in seconds and includes the initial stirring period.
With less alpha-amylase activity, the starch mixture generally remains thicker, slowing the stirrer and producing a higher result. With more activity, starch breaks down and the mixture becomes thinner, allowing the stirrer to fall faster and producing a lower result.
What does the result mean for your grain?
Falling Number is used in grain sales specifications because it helps describe how wheat may perform in processing. Your result should be considered alongside the requirements of your intended buyer and end use. A single target should not be treated as a universal pass or fail for every wheat market.
If harvest conditions have raised concerns, testing a representative sample can provide more useful information than appearance alone. Keep the result associated with the lot it represents and discuss it with your buyer when reviewing delivery requirements.
Saving wheat for planting? Ask a different set of questions.
Falling Number addresses a specific aspect of end-use quality. It does not replace germination, vigour or disease testing when deciding whether a seed lot is suitable for planting.
For saved seed, discuss a testing plan that considers the condition of the lot and its intended use. Monitoring moisture and temperature through drying and storage, and retesting seed quality when needed, can help you make a more informed planting decision.
Start with what you can measure:
You have invested a season of work in the grain you harvested. Understanding what is happening inside it helps you ask the right questions about what comes next.
Request access to rates: https://2020seedlabs.ca/our-pricing/
Learn more about submitting samples: https://2020seedlabs.ca/submit-a-sample/
Alternatively, you are always welcome to contact 20/20 Seed Labs at support@2020seedlabs.ca or 1-877-420-2099 to discuss Falling Number testing and sample submission to either of our laboratories.
