Falling Numbers and Vomitoxin - '24 Spring Wheat

 


Well, the last time we had significant widespread issues with grain quality in the Northern Plains was during the harvest of 2019.  While the falling numbers (FN) values for this year’s 2024 wheat crop are most likely better on average, the vomitoxin is more of a concern in places for 2024 than it was in 2019.  Therefore, we should take the time to review why FN numbers and vomitoxin are important, as well as discuss how to accurately blend various lots of FN grain to enhance value for the seller and end user.

The FN measurement is actually an indirect analysis of the alpha-amylase activity.  Wheat grain with high alpha-amylase activity (a low FN value), will have quicker starch degradation resulting in more of a clear and watery bread dough mixture that will not produce a quality loaf during baking - see diagram picture below.  The measurement is actually done in seconds - the time it takes a stirrer to fall through the bread dough mixture - with the longer time frame resulting in a higher quality loaf for appearance, structure and consistency.



Vomitoxin (or DOM - deoxynivalenol) on the other hand is a mycotoxin that is associated with grain infected with Fusarium molds.  In our neck of the woods, Fusarium head blight (FHB) is the common Fusarium disease in the spring grains, but it can also be named pink scab disease or simply "scab".  Vomitoxin is primarily a concern when the grain is utilized as animal feed with pigs and sheep more susceptible than poultry and ruminants.  Higher concentrations of DOM in the feed ration will result in animals decreasing intake volumes (less weight gain) and since I couldn’t find any data on animal deaths, by default I’ll state that vomitoxin rarely results in direct animal death.  Grain with low vomitoxin levels can still be fed to livestock and FDA guidance can be found here:

Guidance for Industry and FDA: Advisory Levels for Deoxynivalenol (DON) in Finished Wheat Products for Human Consumption and Grains and Grain By-Products used for Animal Feed | FDA

Vomitoxin does not breakdown easily in the environment and thus is not impacted significantly in the bread making process from stirring or baking, nor do the mycotoxins interfere with the quality of the bread loaf.  Vomitoxins have not been shown to have a large impact on the human body – especially in western culture where grains are not a significantly large proportion of the diet.

At the end of the day, low FN wheat and high DOM wheat still has value in the marketplace.  It may take a bit of patience and time to adequately get these bushels utilized at a fair price, but the reward will outweigh the work.

On the topic of blending low FN wheat, it's not a simple and straightforward calculation, but it's not rocket science either.  The target for blending by a wheat producer should be a FN value of 300 seconds (or slightly higher) to ensure a quality product and no discounts at the terminal.

A simple three-part equation has been created and published for determining blend volume by the USDA and Federal Grain Inspection Service (see link below).

Equations and example:

The first step: calculate a LN (Liquefaction Number) from each separate lot of grain.  

LN = 6000 / (FN-50)

 

Second step: average the LN numbers from the two, three or more different lots of grain that will be blended together.

Third step: use this equation to calculate the new FN number of an equal blend of the various lots.

New blended FN = (6000 /LN avg) + 50


To confirm we are all on the same page, here is an example… assume we have two bins (lots) of equal volume.  One with a very high FN number of 400 (LN = 17.1) and one with a poor FN number of 220 (LN=35.3).  The average LN between the two lots would be 26.2, and thus the new FN from a 50:50 mix of the two lots would only equate to 279 (not the simple average of 310).  The lower the FN score from a single seed lot, the larger amount of good quality wheat will be required to bring the FN score into an acceptable range.

In this example, it’ll take a mix ratio of about 62:38 to hit a blended FN number of 300, (target LN avg number of 24.0).  Wheat grain moisture content is assumed at 14%.  There is an equation in Sec. 11 of USDA’s document (pg. 14) adjusting for moisture.

Good luck!

 

USDA: Section 11 “Averaging sublots” pg. 13-15. https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/FGIS9180_38.pdf 

https://www.chssouthcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/FallingNumberInWheat.pdf

NDSU Crop and Pest Report: https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/cpr/plant-science/low-falling-numbers-in-wheat-a-concern-08-29-19

https://library.ndsu.edu/ir/bitstream/handle/10365/5430/pp1302.pdf?sequence=1  

Deoxynivalenol: Toxicity, mechanisms and animal health risks - ScienceDirect

Effects of Bread Making and Wheat Germ Addition on the Natural Deoxynivalenol Content in Bread - PMC (nih.gov)


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