Hagberg falling number

While malt flour is not suitable for bread making it is added to wheat flour in small quantities to feed the yeast, open out the texture and improve the flavour. This practice has declined in recent years for several reasons. When British bread flour was mainly made from Canadian wheat with a Hagberg Falling Number of around 600 the addition of... 

British plain flour is made to a very wide specification that guarantees that it is white, unbleached and untreated. The Hagberg Falling number should not be too low. 

The reason for the non-response of the Hagberg Falling Number to fungal a-amylase is that it is inactivated at 75°C rather than the 87°C of cereal a-amylase. It turns out that fungal a-amylase preparations improve loaf volumes considerably. Most of this effect is produced by a lipoxygenase enzyme that is also present. 

EMPIRICAL TESTING REGIMES 5.2.1 The Hagberg Falling Number... 

The Hagberg Falling Number test only just qualifies for this section as it is an effective way of measuring the a-amylase activity of wheat or flour. It has the considerable advantage that it is unaffected by any added fungal a-amylase. In addition, it only requires a supply of distilled water and electricity - there is no need for chemical glassware or any reagents. 

The Hagberg Falling Number is a test that is used across Northern Europe, where excessive amylase values can be a problem. However, it is not used in Spain, presumably because the climate is such that excessive amylase does not occur. 

Soda bread can be made with a weaker flour than yeast raised bread and should be baked at a cooler temperature. The flour should not have too low a Hagberg Falling Number. 

If grain is to be stored for more than four months, maximum moisture content should be 14%. W and P/L values are from Chopin Alveograph Tests. Hagberg FN, Hagberg falling number. 

Levels of the enzyme a-amylase in wheat grains also affect breadmaking quality. Flour for bread-making requires low levels of a-amylase and this is favoured by a dry ripe dormant grain. The Falling Number (Hagberg) Test is used to determine a-amylase levels. A... 

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