18 October 2026
Industrial Flour Testing: A Practical Guide to the Farinograph, Gluten Index and Falling Number
Protein percentage alone cannot predict how an industrial flour will perform. Two lots with similar protein may absorb different amounts of water, tolerate different mixing times, ferment differently and produce different loaf volumes. A useful flour test answers a process question: Is water absorption stable? Does the dough remain workable through mixing? Can its gluten network retain gas? Is amylase activity suitable for the product and baking schedule?
This guide explains three common tests and how to interpret them together. Each result is one part of the picture; no single value guarantees good bread across every product. For flour-correction options and technical guidance, see Nandoran flour products and technical consultation.
Start with the bread and the process
Flour for pan bread, flatbread, toast or baguettes does not face identical demands. Mixing time and intensity, water addition, fermentation, shaping and oven conditions all place different stresses on dough. Before testing, define the process issue to control: variable absorption, stickiness, tearing during moulding or loss of volume after baking are more useful starting points than a general request for “strong flour.”
Sampling matters as much as measurement. A precise test on an unrepresentative sample can still mislead. The ICC sampling method for milled products uses increments from different points to form a composite sample and then a laboratory sample. Record the sampling point, date, lot identity and storage conditions so that a result can be traced and compared.
What the Farinograph tells you
The Farinograph records dough behaviour during standardized mixing and is used to assess water absorption and mixing properties of wheat flour. Its output is more than an absorption figure: development time, stability and softening can help describe the dough’s workable mixing window. ICC Standard Method 115/1 defines the test for wheat flour.
Connect the curve to the production line
If a new lot appears to absorb more or less water than the mill’s history suggests, first check sample moisture, preparation, water temperature and instrument settings. Then compare the result with mixer behaviour and moulding on the line. A dough that accepts more water in a test is not automatically better for every product; final hydration must also support dough strength, machinability and the intended crumb.
Gluten Index: network quality, not a loaf-volume guarantee
The Gluten Index test assesses wet-gluten quantity and quality under a standardized procedure. ICC Method 155 reports an index on a zero-to-one-hundred test scale; it is not a universal ranking of flour for every bread. Strong gluten can benefit some fermented doughs, while dough that is too resistant may need a different mixing, resting or shaping program.
Read the Gluten Index alongside Farinograph data and a baking or production trial. If dough springs back during shaping, the cause may be the balance between elasticity and extensibility or an insufficient rest. Adding a bread improver before checking the process can add cost without resolving the underlying issue. Where correction is justified, review the product-specific flour improver options with technical support.
Falling Number and alpha-amylase activity
The Falling Number method is used to evaluate alpha-amylase activity in flour. In the standardized test, a flour suspension is heated to form a gel and the time for a stirrer to fall through it is measured. The result is a method-dependent indicator, not a direct measurement of bread quality. ICC Method 107/1 describes the procedure.
Amylase activity affects starch breakdown and the availability of fermentable sugars, while final bread performance also depends on the formula, fermentation and baking conditions. Do not turn a Falling Number result alone into an enzyme-dosing decision; confirm the interpretation against the product specification and an actual baking trial.
Interpret the three tests together
- Variable absorption or dough consistency: compare Farinograph results with water addition and mixer load.
- Tearing or poor gas retention: review Gluten Index together with mixing, fermentation and bake-test results.
- Unbalanced fermentation or crust colour: consider Falling Number alongside formula, yeast, time and oven conditions.
- A sudden change between lots: audit sampling and test repeatability before changing the formula.
A practical laboratory-to-bakery workflow
- Define the product and the defect to control, such as low volume, stickiness or fluctuating absorption.
- Prepare a representative composite sample and record its lot, date and storage conditions.
- Keep sample preparation, method and instrument conditions consistent.
- Compare Farinograph, Gluten Index and Falling Number results with line and baking data.
- Validate changes to water, mixing time or improver stepwise against a control batch.
Frequently asked questions
Does higher protein mean better flour?
No. Protein percentage alone does not describe functionality. Gluten quality, water absorption and dough behaviour through the process also matter.
Does Falling Number specify the enzyme dose by itself?
No. Any correction should be checked against the test method, product, permitted formula and a production trial.
Should every lot be tested with all three methods?
Set the quality plan according to supply variability, risk and the bakery’s specification. Additional testing is useful for critical or out-of-trend lots.
Build internal acceptance limits from evidence
Laboratory results become useful when they are compared over time. Keep accepted and rejected lot records by product alongside baking-trial outcomes, line behaviour and purchasing specifications. These records can support internal control limits, but limits should reflect customer requirements and applicable methods or standards; they should not be set from a single lot.
Where possible, include repeat tests or an internal control sample and record changes in instruments, operators or laboratories. When a result falls outside the usual trend, first confirm sample identity and method execution. Then decide whether a baking test or further evaluation is needed. This avoids rushed formula changes based on a questionable measurement.