Cereal Chem 59:468 - 472.  |  VIEW ARTICLE
Effect of Sprout Damage on Durum Wheat and Spaghetti Quality.

R. R. Matsuo, J. E. Dexter, and A. W. MacGregor. Copyright 1982 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

The falling number test is highly correlated to durum wheat alpha-amylase activity and is a good indicator of sprout damage in durum wheat. The critical factor affecting end-use quality is the level of alpha-amylase in the processed product. High amylolytic activity in spaghetti increases the amount of residue in the cooking water and the level of reducing sugars in both semolina and spaghetti and tends to give a slightly softer cooked spaghetti. Semolina proteins do not appear to be affected by field sprouting, as shown by a modified Osborne protein fractionation procedure and by gel filtration of acetic acid extracts. Semolina yield and spaghetti color are not affected by sprout damage.