Wheat is an annual plant of the genus Triticum, of the family Poaceae, with grain (kernel) as its fruit. The largest part of the grain is the endosperm (70-85%), which contains cells filled with starch granules in the protein matrix and cellulose cell walls. The granules consist of two polysaccharides, amylose and amylopectin, which make up 99% of the dry matter. They consist of α-D-glucose and are connected by hydrogen bonds. There is a fibrillar protein on the surface that influences the strength of the endosperm, which affects the comminution and digestibility of the starch. Wheat starch is mainly used in the bakery industry because isolated wheat starch retains the properties of the endogenous starch in wheat flour, the main ingredient in baked goods. Wheat contains various enzymes that are classified as amylolytic, proteolytic and lipoxygenase depending on the reactant they react with. The most important amylolytic enzymes are α-amylase and β-amylase. Each of the amylolytic enzymes acts on a specific part of the starch granule. Measurement of falling number is a standard method for estimating the α-amylase activity of the grain. Preferred values for falling number are between 250 and 300 s or more, and a value below 250 s indicates damage to the grain during growth. In this paper, we will study the rheological method for determining the falling number according to Hagberg-Perten, which is based on the rapid gelatinisation of flour and water suspensions and the measurement of starch liquefaction by α-amylase. The results obtained can be used as an indirect indicator of amylolytic activity in flour samples. With the help of the available literature, the development history of the method, its principles and its application are described. Within the scope of this work, an experimental determination of the falling number is carried out on a dozen different samples of wheat flour.