Product Description

The  Scoville scale  is a  measurement  of the  pungency  (spiciness or "heat") of  chili peppers  and other spicy foods, as recorded in Scoville Heat Units (SHU) based on the concentration of  capsaicinoids, among which  capsaicin  is the predominant component.  The scale is named after its creator, American pharmacist  Wilbur Scoville, whose 1912 method is known as the Scoville  organoleptic  test.  The Scoville organoleptic test is the most practical method for estimating SHU and is a subjective assessment derived from the capsaicinoid sensitivity by people experienced with eating hot chilis. An alternative method, using  high-performance liquid chromatography  (HPLC) can be used to analytically quantify the capsaicinoid content as an indicator of pungency.  As of 2011, the subjective organoleptic test has been largely superceded by analytical methods such as chromatography. Scoville organoleptic test In the Scoville organoleptic test, an exact weight of dried pepper is dissolved in alcohol to extract the heat components (capsaicinoids), then diluted in a solution of sugar water.[3][10][11]  Decreasing concentrations of the extracted capsaicinoids are given to a panel of five trained tasters, until a majority (at least three) can no longer detect the heat in a dilution.[1][3][10][11]  The heat level is based on this dilution, rated in multiples of 100 SHU.[10] Another source using  subjective assessment  stated: "Conventional methods used in determining the level of pungency or capsaicin concentration are using a panel of tasters (Scoville Organoleptic test method). ... Pepper pungency is measured in Scoville Heat Units (SHU). This measurement is the highest dilution of a chili pepper extract at which heat can be detected by a taste panel."[4][12] A weakness of the Scoville organoleptic test is its imprecision due to human subjectivity, depending on the taster's palate and number of mouth heat  receptors, which vary widely among people.[1][4]  Another weakness is  sensory fatigue;[1]  the palate is quickly desensitized to capsaicinoids after tasting a few samples within a short time period.[10]  Results vary widely (up to ± 50%) between laboratories.[11] Pungency units The  Red Savina pepper, a hot chili.[13] Since the 1980s, spice heat has been assessed quantitatively by  high-performance liquid chromatography  (HPLC), which measures the concentration of heat-producing capsaicinoids, typically with capsaicin content as the main measure.[4][5]  As stated in one review: "the most reliable, rapid, and efficient method to identify and quantify capsaicinoids is HPLC; the results of which can be converted to Scoville Heat Units by multiplying the parts-per-million by 16."[4]  HPLC results permit the measurement of a substance’s capsaicin capacity to produce perceived heat ("pungency"). This method gives results in  American Spice Trade Association  "pungency units", which are defined as one part capsaicin per million parts  dried pepper mass.[5] For  parts per million  (ppm) measurements, SHU units are calculated from "parts per million of heat" (ppmH), which is found with the following calculation: Peak areas are calculated from HPLC traces of dry samples of the substance to be tested in 1 ml of  acetonitrile. The standard used to calibrate the calculation is 1 gram of capsaicin. Scoville heat units are found by multiplying the ppmH value by a factor of 15 or 16. An orally administered capsule of capsaicinoids claiming 100,000 Scoville units will correspond to around 6.6 mg of capsaicinoids. The levels of pungency, in terms of Scoville units are: Pungency SHU Very highly pungent Above 80,000 Highly pungent 25,000 to 70,000 Moderately pungent 3,000 to 25,000 Mildly pungent 700 to 3,000 Non pungent 0 to 700 Scoville ratings Considerations Since Scoville ratings are defined per unit of dry mass, comparison of ratings between products having different water content can be misleading. For example, typical fresh chili peppers have a water content around 90%, whereas  Tabasco sauce  has a water content of 95%.[15]  For law-enforcement-grade  pepper spray, values from 500,000 up to 5 million SHU have been reported,[1][16]  but the actual strength of the spray depends on the dilution. Numerical results for any specimen vary depending on its cultivation conditions and the uncertainty of the laboratory methods used to assess the capsaicinoid content.[4]  Pungency values for any pepper are variable, owing to expected variation within a species, possibly by a factor of 10 or more, depending on  seed lineage, climate and  humidity, and soil composition supplying nutrients. The inaccuracies described in the measurement methods also contribute to the imprecision of these values.[4][11] Capsicum  peppers Capsicum  chili peppers  are commonly used to add pungency in  cuisines  worldwide.[3][4]  The range of pepper heat reflected by a Scoville score is from 100 or less (sweet peppers) to over 3 million (Pepper X) (table below; Scoville scales for individual chili peppers are in the respective linked article). Scoville heat units Example peppers 800,000 to 3,200,000 Pepper X,  Carolina Reaper,  Dragon's Breath 350,000 to 800,000 Red savina,  Chocolate habanero 100,000 to 350,000 Habanero,  Scotch Bonnet 10,000 to 100,000 Malagueta pepper,  Cayenne pepper 1,000 to 10,000 Guajillo pepper,  Jalapeño 100 to 1,000 Banana pepper,  Cubanelle 0 to 100 Bell pepper,  Pimento Capsaicinoids Capsaicin pharmacophore The class of compounds causing pungency in plants like chili peppers is called  capsaicinoids, which display a  linear correlation  between concentration and Scoville scale, and may vary in content during  ripening.[22]  Capsaicin is the major capsaicinoid in chili peppers.[5] Scoville heat units Chemical Ref 16,000,000,000 Resiniferatoxin [23] 5,300,000,000 Tinyatoxin [24] 15,000,000 to 16,000,000 Capsaicin,  Dihydrocapsaicin [25][14] 9,200,000 Nonivamide [25] 9,100,000 Nordihydrocapsaicin [25][14] 8,600,000 Homocapsaicin,  Homodihydrocapsaicin [25] 160,000 Shogaol [26] 100,000 to 200,000 Piperine [27] 60,000 Gingerol [26] 16,000 Capsiate [citation needed ]

Question & Answers

There are no FAQs.