Scoville Scale

The Scoville scale is a measure of the hotness of a chile. These fruits of the Capsicum genus contain capsaicin, a chemical compound which stimulates heat-receptor nerve endings, and the number of Scoville heat units (SHU) indicates the ratio of capsaicin present. Many hot sauces advertise the Scoville rating of their sauce. It is named after Wilbur Scoville, who developed the Scoville Organoleptic Test in 1912. As originally devised, a solution of the pepper extract is diluted in sugar water until the 'heat' is no longer detectable to a panel of (usually five) tasters; the degree of dilution gives its measure on the Scoville scale. Thus a sweet pepper, that contains no capsaicin at all, has a Scoville rating of zero (no heat detectable even undiluted); whereas the hottest chiles, such as habaneros, have a rating of 300,000 or more, indicating that their extract has to be diluted 300,000-fold before the capsaicin present is undetectable. The greatest weakness of the Scoville Organoleptic Test is its imprecision, because it relies on human subjectivity. Later developments such as high pressure liquid chromatography (known as "The Gillett Method") have now enabled the Scoville rating to be determined by direct measurement of capsaicin rather than sensory methods.

List of Scoville ratings

Scoville ratings may vary considerably within a species—easily by a factor of 10 or more—depending on seed lineage, climate and even soil. This is especially true of habaneros.
16,000,000
Pure capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin
food additive
9,100,000
Nordihydrocapsaicin
8,600,000
Homodihydrocapsaicin and homocapsaicin
7,100,000
Original Juan food's The Source Hot Sauce
5,300,000
Police grade pepper spray
2,000,000
Common pepper spray
1,500,000
Da Bomb! The Final Answer hot sauce
855,000 (reported & disputed)
Naga Jolokia pepper
350,000 - 580,000
Red Savina habanero (Guinness Book of Records)
100,000 - 350,000
Habanero
100,000 - 325,000
Scotch bonnet
100,000 - 225,000
Birds eye pepper
100,000 - 200,000
Jamaican hot pepper
100,000 - 125,000
Carolina cayenne pepper
95,000 - 110,000
Bahamian pepper
90,000
Dave's Ultimate Insanity Sauce
85,000 - 115,000
Tabiche pepper
50,000 - 100,000
Thai pepper
50,000 - 100,000
Chiltepin pepper
40,000 - 58,000
Piquin pepper
40,000 - 50,000
Super chile pepper
40,000 - 50,000
Santaka pepper
30,000 - 50,000
Cayenne pepper
30,000 - 50,000
Tabasco pepper
15,000 - 30,000
de Arbol pepper
12,000 - 30,000
Manzano pepper
Aj
7,000 - 8,000
Tabasco habanero sauce
5,000 - 23,000
Serrano pepper
5,000 - 10,000
Hot wax pepper
5,000 - 10,000
Chipotle
2,500 - 8,000
Jalapeo
2,500 - 8,000
Santaka pepper
2,500 - 5,000
Guajilla pepper
2,500 - 5,000
Tabasco sauce
1,500 - 2,500
Tabasco chipotle pepper sauce
1,200 - 1,800
Tabasco garlic sauce
1,500 - 2,500
Rocotilla pepper
1,000 - 2,000
Pasilla pepper
1,000 - 2,000
Ancho pepper
1,000 - 2,000
Poblano pepper
700 - 1,000
Coronado pepper
600 - 1,200
Tabasco green pepper sauce
500 - 2,500
Anaheim pepper
500 - 1,000
New Mexico pepper
500 - 700
Santa Fe Grande pepper
100 - 500
Pepperoncini pepper
100 - 500
Pimento
0
Sweet bell pepper

Further reading

  • The Journal of the American Pharmacists Association 1912; 1:453-4

External links

 

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