ISO 3093:2004 describes the determination of the alpha-amylase activity of cereals by the Falling Number method according to Hagberg-Perten.

This method is applicable to cereal grains, in particular to wheat and rye and their respective flours, durum wheat and its semolina. For the purposes of ISO 3093:2004, the term "flour" includes semolina and ground grain (wholemeal), the particle sizes of which are defined.

This method is not applicable for the determination of low levels of alpha-amylase activity, which can be carried out in accordance with ISO 7973.

By converting the Falling Number into a Liquefaction Number (LN), it is possible to use this method to estimate the composition of mixtures of grain, flour or semolina with known Falling Number values necessary to produce a sample of a required Falling Number.