Repeatability Precision of the Falling Number Procedure Under Standard and Modified Methodologies

The falling number (FN) procedure is used worldwide to assess the integrity of the starch stored within wheat seed. As an indirect measurement of the activity level of α-amylase, FN relies on a dedicated viscometer that measures the amount of time needed for a metal stirring rod of precise geometry to descend a fixed distance through a column of water–flour or water–meal slurry that undergoes enzyme-activated starch hydrolysis under controlled mixing and heating conditions. For U.S. wheat, FN values of 300 s and above generally indicate soundness in the condition of the seed starches, whereas values less than 300 s often indicate that some seeds have broken dormancy, which deleteriously affects bread-, cake-, and noodle-making quality of products derived from their flour. Domestic and especially overseas sales contracts will often specify a minimum FN value for consignments, thus making it critical to ensure that the FN procedure be highly precise. The study described herein examined the level of repeatability precision of the FN procedure under strictly controlled laboratory conditions as a means to establish precision levels arising alone from the random nature of the viscous properties of starchy meal undergoing mixing and heating. Six representative samples of Pacific Northwest–grown soft white and club wheat, ranging in FN between 168 and 404 s, were repeatedly measured with the conventional FN procedure and three modifications thereof, with the modifications being increased meal and water amounts (8 g of meal + 30 mL of H₂O instead of 7 g + 25 mL) or the addition of a polysorbate surfactant (0.1% Tween 20) to the mixture water. Based on 16 FN runs for each sample and treatment, estimated variances and coefficients of variation (CV) were determined for each treatment–sample combination. The results indicated that CVs between 1 and 4% were achieved for all treatments and samples. The treatment modification of an augmented test sample size improved precision, whereas incorporating a surfactant had a negligible effect. Precision and treatment (conventional versus augmented) findings were corroborated by two external laboratories with two of the six original samples and by the main laboratory on an independent set of 14 wheat meal samples of commercial origin. Another possible improvement in precision is in the sequencing of water and meal addition to be half the volume of water, then the meal, followed by the remaining volume of water, all at the conventional levels of meal and water. Preliminary experimental results indicate an improvement in precision by using the “sandwich” approach; however, further testing is warranted to substantiate this discovery.