Wheat kernels that look perfectly fine can ambush end users with bread that won’t slice, pancake mix that is gummy, or cookies that just don’t taste right.

“End users like grain that comes out like BBs, the same shape and size every time,” says Art Bettge, a USDA-ARS food technologist. Unfortunately for end users, wheat is a living organism and exact uniformity isn’t possible. But wheat breeders and growers can work together to reduce problems for end users.

Look out for falling numbers

Bakeries need consistency. If the pancake mix package label says to add 1½ cups of water, then consumers want the same light, fluffy pancakes every time they add that amount to the mix. Flour milled from wheat that has either sprouted or has late-maturity amylase (LMA) can be slimy and runny instead, says Katherine O’Brien, University of Idaho (U of I) cereal chemist.

End users measure problems with wheat end products by a falling number rating. Falling number is the number of seconds it takes a weighted plunger to pass through a wheat paste. A falling number of 300 means the plunger takes 300 seconds to go through the paste. Ratings below 300 cause trouble for end users.

Sprouted wheat due to excessive moisture leads to low falling numbers. Farmers can easily spot wet wheat following rainfall or a late irrigation. About once every 10 or 12 years, though, conditions are right in the Pacific Northwest for wheat kernels to essentially sprout internally with no visual signs.

LMA degrades starch and turns it to glucose that fuels sprouting. If you think of starch as a rope, LMA turns a neatly coiled rope into an unusable bunch of short pieces, Bettge says.

Genetics control LMA. “The plant doesn’t think it’s time to make cookies or cake or noodles; it thinks it’s time to sprout,” Bettge explains.

Problems with falling numbers in the Midwest usually occur when rain falls at harvest, says Jeff Edwards, Oklahoma State University small grains Extension specialist. The 2007 crop had low falling numbers but not the 2008 crop.

Unlike preharvest sprouting where the test weight falls, LMA doesn’t alert flour mills and bakeries of potential problems. LMA leaves test weight unaffected. The effects of LMA are seen throughout the entire kernel immediately. Preharvest sprouting starts at the germ end of the kernel and spreads upward.