Cereal Chem 58:80 - 82.  |  VIEW ARTICLE
Effect of Altitude on Falling Number Values of Flours.

K. Lorenz and M. Wolt. Copyright 1981 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

The effect of altitude on falling number (FN) values was studied with 18 hard wheat flours varying in sea level FN values. The experiments were carried out at sea level and at 2,500, 5,000, 7,500, and 10,000 ft of elevation. As elevation increased, FN values increased because of the lower boiling point of water at reduced atmospheric pressures. The increase in FN values became statistically significant at elevations above 2,500 ft. An equation was developed that permits calculation of sea level FN value from any FN value obtained at a different altitude. Results of a collaborative study with 13 laboratories, located at various elevations in four different countries, indicated that the equation produces reliable sea level FN values.