How a Chili Peppers Heat is Measured
published by chili pepper king on Sep 17, 2011
The Scoville Scale is the universal method of measurement that is used to rate the spicy heat (or piquance) of a chili pepper. The Scoville Heat Units (SHU) indicates the amount of capsaicin present in the chili pepper, this capsaicin is a chemical compound that gives the chili pepper its heat/ hotness.
The Scoville Heat Units scale (SHU) is named after its creator who was an American pharmacist called Wilbur Scoville. the method that he devised in 1912 is known as the Scoville Organoleptic Test, The modern method for quantitative analysis uses high-performance liquid chromatography which makes it possible to directly measure capsaicinoid content.
In simple terms the Scoville Heat Units system is the ratio (amount) of water in which is needed to make the chili heat undetectable, so for example, one drop of Jalapeno will require 2,500-8,000 drops of water and one drop of Naga Jolokia will require up to 1,000,000 drops of water to make the heat undetectable,
Scoville Heat Units (SHU) Table
