Scoville scale

The Scoville scale is a measure of the hotness of a chile pepper. 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
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	Naga Jolokia pepper (reported & disputed)
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 , Ají
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	Jalapeño
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

External links

Categories: Scales | Peppers

Scoville scale

List of Scoville ratings

Further reading

External links