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The Secret of the Scoville Scale: How to Measure the True Hotness of a Chili Pepper?
The spiciness of peppers is undoubtedly a hot topic for many food lovers. It not only affects the taste of the dishes, but also serves as an indicator to challenge the brave. In the world of measuring spiciness, the Scoville Scale undoubtedly plays an important role. This post will dive into the history of the Scoville Scale, its measurement method, and the science behind it.
Origins of the Scoville Scale
The Scoville scale was created by American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville. He devised the Scoville organoleptic test in 1912, a subjective evaluation method based on the measurement of capsaicin concentration in chili peppers. The test relies on experienced tasters, whose tongues' sensitivity to capsaicin can influence the accuracy of the results.
“The traditional evaluation method involves subjective evaluation by a panel of tasters, measuring the highest dilution of a chili pepper extract.”
Scovell functional test
In the Scoville test, a determined weight of dried chili peppers is dissolved in alcohol to extract the spicy component (capsaicin), which is then diluted in sugar water. Next, varying concentrations of the capsaicin extract were presented to five trained tasters until a majority (at least three) could no longer detect the spicy taste in the dilution. The Scoville Heat rating is based on this dilution and is measured in units of 100 SHU.
“The pungency of chili peppers is measured in Scoville Heat Units (SHU), which reflect the highest dilution of the detected heat of a chili pepper extract.”
HPLC Quantification
Since the 1980s, the pungency of chili peppers has been quantified using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), which can analyze and measure the content of capsaicin, the compound that produces the spicy taste. As stated in one article, HPLC is considered the most reliable, rapid, and efficient method to identify and quantify capsaicinoids.
“The results of the HPLC test can be converted to Scoville Heat Units (SHU) by multiplying the capsaicin value by 16 parts per million.”
Scovill Rating Considerations
Because the Scoville rating is defined based on dry mass, comparisons between products of different moisture contents can be misleading. For example, a typical fresh chili pepper is about 90 percent water, while Tabasco sauce is 95 percent water. In law enforcement-grade pepper sprays, reported values range from 500,000 to 5 million SHU, but the actual strength of the spray depends on the dilution ratio.
"The spiciness of peppers can vary by as much as ten times, depending on the variety, the growing conditions and the method used."
Diversity of peppers and capsaicinoids
The so-called Capsicum pepper is a popular ingredient for adding spicy flavor around the world. According to the Scoville scale, peppers range in spiciness from 500 (bell pepper) to over 2.6 million (Pepper X). Some peppers, such as Guntur and Rocoto, were not included in the list due to their wide SHU range, while others, such as Dragon's Breath and Chocolate 7-pot, have not been officially verified.
The role of capsaicin
The compounds in chili peppers that cause their pungency are called capsaicin, and their concentrations are linearly correlated with the Scoville scale and vary with maturity. Capsaicin is the main ingredient in chili peppers. The Scoville scale can even be used to express the pungency of other unrelated TRPV1 agonists, although extensions are sometimes necessary for spicier compounds. For example, resiniferin, found in the sap of certain types of trees in the Euphorbia family, is 1,000 times hotter than capsaicin and would rate about 16 billion on the Scoville scale.
ConclusionThe Scoville Scale is undoubtedly an important tool for pepper lovers and scientists to understand spiciness, but it is not without controversy. When choosing different peppers or products, consumers need to understand the meaning behind these numbers and the uncertainty in their measurement. So, are you ready to challenge your taste buds and experience different peppers and the stories behind them?
