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Scoville scale

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Naga Jolokia (naga morich, bhut jolokia) is the hottest chili in the world at 1,040,000 SHU; primarily found in Northeast Indian state of Assam, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka

The Scoville scale measures the hotness or piquancy of a chili pepper, as defined by the amount of capsaicin it contains. Capsaicin is a chemical compound which stimulates chemoreceptor nerve endings in the skin, especially the mucous membranes. The number of Scoville heat units (SHU) indicates the amount of capsaicin present.

The scale is named after its creator, American chemist Wilbur Scoville, who developed a test for rating the pungency of chili peppers. His method, which he devised in 1912,[1] is known as the Scoville Organoleptic Test. An alternative method for quantitative analysis uses high-performance liquid chromatography, making it possible to directly measure capsaicinoid content.

Some hot sauces use their Scoville rating in advertising as a selling point. Chili peppers, fruits of the Capsicum genus, contain a great deal of capsaicin.

Scoville Organoleptic Test

In Scoville's method, a solution of the pepper extract is diluted in sugar syrup 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 or a bell pepper, containing no capsaicin at all, has a Scoville rating of zero, meaning no heat detectable, even undiluted. Conversely, the hottest chilis, such as habaneros, have a rating of 200,000 or more, indicating that their extract has to be diluted 200,000 times before the capsaicin presence is undetectable. The greatest weakness of the Scoville Organoleptic Test is its imprecision, because it relies on human subjectivity.

High-performance liquid chromatography

The Red savina pepper, one of the hottest chilis, is rated at 580,000 SHU. Only the Naga Jolokia is hotter.

Spice heat is now usually measured by a method using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). This identifies and measures the concentration of heat-producing chemicals. They are then used in a mathematical formula in which they are weighted according to their relative capacity to produce a sensation of heat. This method yields results, not in Scoville units, but in American Spice Trade Association (ASTA) pungency units. A measurement of one part capsaicin per million corresponds to about 15 Scoville units, and the published method says that ASTA pungency units can be multiplied by 15 and reported as Scoville units. This conversion is approximate, and spice experts Donna R. Tainter and Anthony T. Grenis say that there is consensus that it gives results about 20–40% lower than the actual Scoville method would have given.[2]

List of Scoville ratings

Pungency values for any pepper, stated in Scoville units, are imprecise, due to expected variation within a species—easily by a factor of 10 or more—depending on seed lineage, climate (humidity is a big factor for the Naga as the Dorset Naga and the original Naga have quite different ratings), and even soil (this is especially true of habaneros). The inaccuracies described in the measurement methods above also contribute to the imprecision of these values. When interpreting Scoville ratings, this should be kept in mind.[2]

The Scoville scale may be extrapolated to express the pungency of substances that are even hotter than pure capsaicin. One such substance is resiniferatoxin, an alkaloid present in the sap of some species of euphorbia plants (spurges), with a Scoville scale rating of 16 billion.[3]

Scoville scale
Scoville rating Type of pepper
15,000,000–16,000,000 Pure capsaicin [4]
8,600,000–9,100,000 Various capsaicinoids (e.g. homocapsaicin, homodihydrocapsaicin, nordihydrocapsaicin)
5,000,000–5,300,000 Law Enforcement Grade pepper spray,[5] FN 303 irritant ammunition
55,000–50,000 Naga Jolokia (a.k.a. Ghost pepper) [6] [7]
350,000–580,000 Red Savina Habanero[8] [9]
100,000–350,000 Habanero chili,[10] Scotch Bonnet Pepper,[10] Datil pepper, Rocoto, African Birdseye, Madame Jeanette, Jamaican Hot Pepper [11]
50,000–100,000 Thai Pepper,[12] Malagueta Pepper,[12] Chiltepin Pepper, Pequin Pepper [12]
30,000–50,000 Cayenne Pepper, Ají pepper,[10] Tabasco pepper, some Chipotle peppers, Cumari pepper (Capsicum Chinese)
10,000–23,000 Serrano Pepper, some Chipotle peppers
2,500–8,000 Jalapeño Pepper, Guajillo pepper, New Mexican varieties of Anaheim pepper,[13] Paprika (Hungarian wax pepper)
500–2,500 Anaheim pepper, Poblano Pepper, Rocotillo Pepper
100–500 Pimento, Peperoncini
0 No heat, Bell pepper

References

  1. ^ The Journal of the American Pharmacists Association 1912; 1:453–4
  2. ^ a b Tainter, Donna R. (2001). Spices and Seasonings. Wiley-IEEE. p. 30. ISBN 0-471-35575-5. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help) — "Interlab variation [for the original Scoville scale] could be as high as + / - 50%. However, labs that run these procedures could generate reasonably repeatable results."
  3. ^ Atala, Anthony, and Debra Slade (2003), Bladder Disease, (Washington DC: National Bladder Foundation), p. 361.
  4. ^ Uhl (1996), op. cit. "The HPLC measures the capsaicinoid(s) in ppm, which can then be converted to Scoville units using a conversion factor of 15, 20 or 30 depending on the capsaicinoid." This would make capsaicin 15,000,000
  5. ^ "The Police Policy Studies Council". www.theppsc.org. Retrieved 2009年02月09日. Most law enforcement sprays have a pungency of 500,000 to 2 million SHU. One brand has sprays with 5.3 million SHU.
  6. ^ Shaline L. Lopez (2007). "NMSU is home to the world's hottest chile pepper" . Retrieved 2007年02月21日.
  7. ^ AP (23 February 2007). "World's hottest chili pepper a mouthful for prof". CNN. Archived from the original on 2007年03月22日.
  8. ^ "What is a Habanero Pepper?". wisegeek.com. Retrieved 2008年03月31日.
  9. ^ "World's hottest chile pepper discovered". American Society for Horticultural Science. Retrieved 2008年03月31日.
  10. ^ a b c "Chile Pepper Heat Scoville Scale". About.com. Retrieved 2006年09月25日.
  11. ^ "The Scoville Scale".
  12. ^ a b c "Scoville Scale Chart for Hot Sauce and Hot Peppers". ScottRobertsWeb.com. Retrieved 2008年11月19日.
  13. ^ "Anaheim Pepper" (PDF). Chile Pepper Institute at New Mexico State University. 2007. Retrieved 2007年10月22日.

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