Scoville scale

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Short description: Scale for measuring spiciness of peppers


Pepper stand at Central Market in Houston, Texas , showing its peppers ranked on the Scoville scale
The ghost pepper of Northeast India is considered to be a "very hot" pepper, at about 1 million SHU.[1]
The Naga Morich, with around 1 million SHU,[2] is primarily found in Bangladesh.

The Scoville scale is a measurement of pungency (spiciness or "heat") of chili peppers and other substances, recorded in Scoville heat units (SHU). It is based on the concentration of capsaicinoids, among which capsaicin is the predominant component.[3]

The scale is named after its creator, American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville, whose 1912 method is known as the Scoville organoleptic test.[3][4] The Scoville organoleptic test is a subjective assessment derived from the capsaicinoid sensitivity by people experienced with eating hot chilis.[3]

An alternative method, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), can be used to analytically quantify the capsaicinoid content as an indicator of pungency.[3][5][6]

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][7][8] 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][7][8] The heat level is based on this dilution, rated in multiples of 100 SHU.[7]

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."[5][9][10]

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 subjects.[1][9] Another shortcoming is sensory fatigue;[1] the palate is quickly desensitized to capsaicinoids after tasting a few samples within a short time period.[7] Results vary widely (up to ± 50%) between laboratories.[8]

Quantification by HPLC

The Red Savina pepper, a hot chili.[11]

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.[9][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."[9][lower-alpha 1]

HPLC method gives results in American Spice Trade Association 1985 "pungency units", which are defined as one part capsaicin equivalent per million parts dried pepper mass. This "parts per million of heat" (ppmH) is found with the following calculation:[5] [math]\displaystyle{ \text{ppmH} = \frac{\text{peak area}({\text{capsaicin})} + 0.82\cdot \text{peak area}(\text{dihydrocapsaicin)}}{\text{peak area}(\text{standard)}} }[/math]

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.[5][lower-alpha 1] By this definition of ppmH, spicy compounds other than the two most important capsaicinoids are ignored, despite the ability of HPLC to measure these other compounds at the same time.[5]

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%.[12] For law-enforcement-grade pepper spray, values from 500,000 up to 5 million SHU have been reported,[1][13] but the actual strength of the spray depends on the dilution.[3] This problem can be overcome by stating the water content along with the Scoville value. One way to do so is the "D-value", defined as total mass divided by dry mass.[14]

Numerical results for any specimen vary depending on its cultivation conditions and the uncertainty of the laboratory methods used to assess the capsaicinoid content.[9] 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.[9][8]

Capsicum peppers

Capsicum chili peppers are commonly used to add pungency in cuisines worldwide.[3][9] The range of pepper heat reflected by a Scoville score is from 500 or less (sweet peppers) to over 2.6 million (Pepper X) (table below; Scoville scales for individual chili peppers are in the respective linked article). Some peppers such as the Guntur chilli and Rocoto are excluded from the list due to their very wide SHU range. Others such as Dragon's Breath and Chocolate 7-pot have not been officially verified.[15][16]

Scoville heat units Examples
2,693,000 Pepper X[17]
1,500,000–2,500,000 Carolina Reaper[18][19]
750,000–1,500,000 Trinidad Moruga Scorpion,[20] Naga Viper pepper,[21] Infinity chilli,[22] Ghost pepper[23]
350,000–750,000 Red savina habanero[24]
100,000–350,000 Habanero chili,[25] Scotch bonnet pepper[25]
50,000–100,000 Bird's eye chili (Thai chili pepper),[26] Malagueta pepper[26]
25,000–50,000 Tabasco pepper,[27] Cayenne pepper[28]
10,000–25,000 Serrano pepper,[29] Aleppo pepper,[30] Cheongyang chili pepper[31]
2,500–10,000 Jalapeño pepper,[32] Guajillo chili[33]
1,000–2,500 Poblano pepper[34][35]
500–1,000 Cubanelle,[36] Beaver Dam pepper[37]
0–500 Pimiento[38]
0 Bell pepper, Peperone crusco[39]

Capsaicinoids

The capsaicin "pharmacophore", the portion of the molecule that produces biological effects

The class of compounds causing pungency in plants such as chili peppers is called capsaicinoids, which display a linear correlation between concentration and Scoville scale, and may vary in content during ripening.[40] Capsaicin is the major capsaicinoid in chili peppers.[5]

The Scoville scale may be used to express the pungency of other, unrelated TRPV1 agonists, sometimes with extrapolation for much hotter compounds. One such substance is resiniferatoxin, an alkaloid present in the sap of some species of euphorbia plants (spurges). Since it is 1000 times as hot as capsaicin, it would have a Scoville scale rating of 16 billion.[41] In the table below, non-capsaicinoid compounds are italicized.

Scoville heat units Chemical Ref
16,000,000,000[lower-alpha 2] Resiniferatoxin [42]
5,300,000,000[lower-alpha 2] Tinyatoxin [43]
16,000,000 Capsaicin [44][45]
15,000,000 Dihydrocapsaicin [44]
9,200,000 Nonivamide [44]
9,100,000 Nordihydrocapsaicin [44][45]
8,600,000 Homocapsaicin, Homodihydrocapsaicin [44]
160,000 Shogaol [46]
150,000 Piperine [47]
60,000 Gingerol [46]

See also

  • List of capsaicinoids

Explanatory notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Some sources such as Guzman[9] state a factor of 16 in line with the 16,000,000 SHU figure of pure capsaicin. However, Guzman cites the collins source[5] which clearly states 15 per ASTA.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Estimate; too strong to be used in human taste-testing.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Barry-Jester, Anna Maria (October 15, 2014). "Rating Chili Peppers On A Scale Of 1 To Oh Dear God I'm On Fire". FiveThirtyEight. http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/rating-chili-peppers-on-a-scale-of-1-to-oh-dear-god-im-on-fire/. 
  2. ↑ "Some Like It Hot: Dorset's Ultra-Hot Chillies". http://www.thetraveleditor.com/article/3646/Feature_Article_Foodie_Some_Like_It_Hot_Dorset_s_Ultra_Hot_Chillies.html. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 "How Hot is That Pepper? How Scientists Measure Spiciness". Smithsonian.com, US Smithsonian Institution. 10 January 2013. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-hot-is-that-pepper-how-scientists-measure-spiciness-884380/. 
  4. ↑ Scoville, Wilbur (May 1912). "Note on Capsicums". Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association 1 (5): 453–454. doi:10.1002/jps.3080010520. https://zenodo.org/record/1427675. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 "Improved method for quantifying capsaicinoids in Capsicum using high-performance liquid chromatography". HortScience 30 (1): 137–139. 1995. doi:10.21273/HORTSCI.30.1.137. http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/30/1/137.full.pdf+html. 
  6. ↑ Al Othman, Zeid Abdullah (2011). "Determination of Capsaicin and Dihydrocapsaicin in Capsicum Fruit Samples using High Performance Liquid Chromatography". Molecules 16 (10): 8920. doi:10.3390/molecules16108919. PMID 22024959. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Peter, K. V. (2012). Handbook of Herbs and Spices. Elsevier Science. p. 127. ISBN 978-0-85709-5671. https://books.google.com/books?id=P4FwAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA127. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Tainter, Donna R.; Anthony T. Grenis (2001). Spices and Seasonings. Wiley-IEEE. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-471-35575-5. https://books.google.com/books?id=dfp4b3F0598C&pg=PA30. "Interlab variation [for the original Scoville scale] could be as high as +/−50%. However, labs that run these procedures could generate reasonably repeatable results." 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 Guzmán, I; Bosland, P. W (2017). "Sensory properties of chili pepper heat - and its importance to food quality and cultural preference". Appetite 117: 186–190. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2017.06.026. PMID 28662907. 
  10. ↑ "Extraction and analytical methods of capsaicinoids - a review". Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies XX: 93–140. 2016. ISSN 2285-1364. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/0b7b/b726c67c316530bc445cdea106c0ad167f6b.pdf. 
  11. ↑ DeWitt, Dave; Bosland, Paul W. (2009). The Complete Chile Pepper Book. Timber Press. ISBN 978-0-88192-920-1. 
  12. ↑ USDA nutrient database for Peppers, jalapeño, raw (92% water content); Peppers, hot chile, red, raw (88% water content); Red Tabasco sauce (95%)
  13. ↑ "Chemical hazards in law enforcement". The Police Policy Studies Council. http://www.theppsc.org/Staff_Views/Czarnecki/chemical_hazards_in_law_enforcement.htm. "Most law enforcement sprays have a pungency of 500,000 to 2 million SHU. One brand has sprays with 5.3 million SHU." 
  14. ↑ "Let's Get Technical: The Limitations of the Scoville Scale". 22 April 2017. https://www.joshjungle.com/2017/04/22/2017-4-22-lets-get-technical-the-limitations-of-the-scoville-scale/. 
  15. ↑ Mike Hultquist (23 February 2018). "Pepper X – Latest News and Information". https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/news/pepper-x-latest-news-and-information/. 
  16. ↑ Ligaya Mishan (August 18, 2022). "How the Chile Became Hot". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/18/t-magazine/hot-chiles-pepper-spice.html. Retrieved September 1, 2022. "Carolina Reaper, known to reach as many as 2.2 million S.H.U.s — more potent than some pepper sprays — and certified by Guinness World Records as the hottest chile on earth." 
  17. ↑ "Pepper X, Hottest chilli pepper". Guinness World Records Ltd.. 2023. https://guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/hottest-chili. 
  18. ↑ Hallock, Betty (December 26, 2013). "World's hottest pepper hits 2.2 million Scoville heat units". Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-worlds-hottest-pepper-scoville-heat-units-20131226-story.html. 
  19. ↑ "Hottest chilli pepper (2017)". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230128091737/https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/hottest-chili/. Retrieved October 16, 2023. 
  20. ↑ "Chile experts identify Trinidad Moruga Scorpion as world's hottest". The Daily Telegraph (UK). 2012-02-16. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/9085820/Chile-experts-identify-Trinidad-Moruga-Scorpion-as-worlds-hottest.html. 
  21. ↑ Dykes, Brett Michael (3 December 2010). "World's hottest pepper is 'hot enough to strip paint'". Yahoo! News. http://beta.news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/world-hottest-pepper-hot-enough-strip-paint.html. 
  22. ↑ "Grantham's Infinity chilli named hottest in world". bbc.co.uk (BBC News). 2011-02-18. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12506652. 
  23. ↑ Lopez, Shaline L. (2007). "NMSU is home to the world's hottest chile pepper". New Mexico State University. http://www.nmsu.edu/~ucomm/Releases/2007/february/hottest_chile.htm. 
  24. ↑ "World's hottest chile pepper discovered". American Society for Horticultural Science. http://www.bio-medicine.org/biology-news-1/Worlds-hottest-chile-pepper-discovered-991-1/. 
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 "Chile Pepper Heat Scoville Scale". http://homecooking.about.com/library/weekly/blhotchiles.htm. 
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 "Scoville Scale Chart for Hot Sauce and Hot Peppers". Scott Roberts. http://www.scottrobertsweb.com/scoville-scale.php. 
  27. ↑ Andrews, Jean (1995). Peppers: the Domesticated Capsicums (illustrated ed.). University of Texas Press. p. 58. ISBN 9780292704671. https://books.google.com/books?id=SsjvX31EMekC. 
  28. ↑ "Database of Chilli Pepper Varieties". http://www.thechileman.org/results.php?chile=1&find=cayenne&heat=Any&origin=Any&genus=Any&subscribe=Search;. 
  29. ↑ "Types of hot peppers". https://downinthekitchen.com/peppers/#Types_of_Hot_Peppers_8211. 
  30. ↑ "Pepper Heat Ratings in Scoville Units". Penzeys Spices. http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyschilipeppers.html. 
  31. ↑ Crawford, Matthew C. (5 September 2014). "Hot pepper town swept by heat wave". The Korea Herald. http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20140905000908. 
  32. ↑ González-Zamora, A; Sierra-Campos, E; Luna-Ortega, J. G; Pérez-Morales, R; Rodríguez Ortiz, J. C; García-Hernández, J. L (2013). "Characterization of different Capsicum varieties by evaluation of their capsaicinoids content by high performance liquid chromatography, determination of pungency and effect of high temperature". Molecules 18 (11): 13471–86. doi:10.3390/molecules181113471. PMID 24184818. 
  33. ↑ "Guajillo pepper: The sweet side of spice". 22 November 2014. https://www.pepperscale.com/guajillo-pepper/. 
  34. ↑ Lillywhite, Jay M.; Simonsen, Jennifer E.; Uchanski, Mark E. (2013). "Spicy Pepper Consumption and Preferences in the United States". HortTechnology 23 (6): 868–876. doi:10.21273/HORTTECH.23.6.868. "Any pepper type with ≥ 1 SHU could be considered spicy. However, for this study, paprika (0–300 SHU), New Mexico long green or red chile (300–500 SHU), and poblano/ancho (≈1369 SHU) types were included as mild spicy peppers (Table 1).". 
  35. ↑ Julius, David; Caterina, Michael J.; Schumacher, Mark A.; Tominaga, Makoto; Rosen, Tobias A.; Levine, Jon D. (1997). "The capsaicin receptor: a heat-activated ion channel in the pain pathway". Nature 389 (6653): 816–824. doi:10.1038/39807. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 9349813. Bibcode: 1997Natur.389..816C. "Reported pungencies for pepper varieties (in Scoville units) are: Habanero (H), 100,000–300,000; Thai green (T), 50,000–100,000; wax (W), 5,000–10,000; and Poblano verde (P), 1,000–1,500 (ref. 23).". 
  36. ↑ "Scoville Scale – Scott Roberts Hot Sauce, BBQ and Spicy Food Blog". http://www.scottrobertsweb.com/scoville-scale/. 
  37. ↑ "Beaver Dam Pepper: Northern Spice". Pepperscale.com. 6 October 2015. https://www.pepperscale.com/beaver-dam-pepper/. 
  38. ↑ Thomas R. Koballa; Lee Meadows; Elizabeth C. Doster; David F. Jackson. (1995). "Hot Peppers to Hurricanes: New Ways to Measure". Science Scope (National Science Teachers Association) 19 (2): 39. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43179500. 
  39. ↑ "Peperone Di Senise: Basilicata's Sweet Treasure". 17 August 2019. https://www.pepperscale.com/peperone-di-senise/. 
  40. ↑ Nagy, Z; Daood, H; Ambrózy, Z; Helyes, L (2015). "Determination of Polyphenols, Capsaicinoids, and Vitamin C in New Hybrids of Chili Peppers". Journal of Analytical Methods in Chemistry 2015: 1–10. doi:10.1155/2015/102125. PMID 26495153. 
  41. ↑ Atala, Anthony; Slade, Debra (2003). Bladder Disease. Washington, DC: National Bladder Foundation. p. 361. 
  42. ↑ Ellsworth, Pamela; Wein, Alan J. (2009). Questions and Answers about Overactive Bladder. Jones & Bartlett Learning. pp. 97–100. ISBN 978-1449631130. https://books.google.com/books?id=4WhpvPMZOJUC. 
  43. ↑ Premkumar, Louis S. (2014-06-13). "Transient Receptor Potential Channels as Targets for Phytochemicals". ACS Chemical Neuroscience 5 (11): 1117–1130. doi:10.1021/cn500094a. ISSN 1948-7193. PMID 24926802. 
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 44.2 44.3 44.4 "Capsicum — Production, Technology, Chemistry, and Quality. Part V. Impact on Physiology, Pharmacology, Nutrition, and Metabolism; Structure, Pungency, Pain, and Desensitization Sequences". Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 29 (6): 435–474. 1991. doi:10.1080/10408399109527536. PMID 2039598. 
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 O'Keefe, James H.; DiNicolantonio, James J.; McCarty, Mark F. (2015-06-01). "Capsaicin may have important potential for promoting vascular and metabolic health" (in en). Open Heart 2 (1): e000262. doi:10.1136/openhrt-2015-000262. ISSN 2053-3624. PMID 26113985. 
  46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 Compton, Richard G.; Batchelor-McAuley, Christopher; Ngamchuea, Kamonwad; Chaisiwamongkhol, Korbua (2016-10-31). "Electrochemical detection and quantification of gingerol species in ginger (Zingiber officinale) using multiwalled carbon nanotube modified electrodes" (in en). Analyst 141 (22): 6321–6328. doi:10.1039/C6AN02254E. ISSN 1364-5528. PMID 27774555. Bibcode: 2016Ana...141.6321C. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:b2a3c323-180f-45b7-a462-02f397ab718f. 
  47. ↑ Mangathayaru, K. (2013) (in en). Pharmacognosy: An Indian perspective. Pearson Education India. pp. 274. ISBN 9789332520264. https://books.google.com/books?id=2UQ8BAAAQBAJ. 



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