Relationships between Falling Number, α-amylase activity, milling, cookie, and sponge cake quality of soft white wheat

Background and objectives: Falling Number (FN) in wheat is an important quality predictor and carries a significant economic impact. Lower FN is associated with higher -amylase activity and poorer soft wheat end-use quality, especially sponge cake. The objective was to examine wheat samples with a range of FN between 70>300s for -amylase activity and sponge cake quality. Findings: Falling Number was moderately well correlated with -amylase activity. Stirring Number, an alternative to FN, was poorly correlated with-amylase activity. Milling reduced -amylase activity in break and straight-grade flours compared to grain, but not substantially. Sugar-snap cookie diameter was unrelated to FN. Japanese sponge cake quality, however, was variably associated with FN and -amylase activity. Conclusions: It seemed that likely the inherent genetic differences in cake quality of specific varieties out-weighed the effects of -amylase (and relationships with FN). In conclusion, field samples of soft white wheat showed the general inverse relationship between FN and -amylase activity. However, the relationship was not strong enough to consider FN a highly robust predictor of -amylase activity or of sponge cake quality. Significance and novelty: The results of this study illustrate the complex relationship among FN,-amylase, milling, and sponge cake quality.