Wheat quality: A factor analysis of some test data

Abstract

Seventeen tests for the measurement of wheat grain samples in respect of bread making quality have been investigated. Two (17 x 17) correlation matrices were calculated from the data yielded by the application of those tests to two series of samples, and factor analyses of those matrices were then undertaken. The analyses indicate that four oblique but relatively independent factors, designated as "strength", "hardness", "stability", and "stiffness", are sufficient to account for the correlations among tests. The two independent sets of data show good agreement as to the factor structures of the tests; and where they differ, reasonable explanations, in terms of either procedures or sample characteristics, are generally available.