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The Scoville Scale
The Scoville scale is a measure of the hotness of a chili pepper. These fruits of the Capsicum genus contain capsaicin, a chemical compound which stimulates heat-receptor nerve endings in the tongue, and the number of Scoville heat units (SHU) indicates the amount of capsaicin present. Many hot sauces use their Scoville rating in advertising as a selling point.
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, 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 300,000 or more, indicating that their extract has to be diluted 300,000-fold before the capsaicin present is undetectable. 15 Scoville units is equivalent to one part capsaicin per million. The greatest weakness of the Scoville Organoleptic Test is its imprecision, because it relies on human subjectivity.
Later analytical developments such as high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) (also 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.
| 15,000,000 |
Pure capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin |
| 9,100,000 |
Nordihydrocapsaicin |
| 8,600,000 |
Homodihydrocapsaicin and homocapsaicin |
| 5,300,000 |
Police grade pepper spray |
| 2,000,000 |
Common pepper spray |
| 350,000 - 580,000 |
Red Savina habanero |
| 100,000 - 350,000 |
Habanero chile |
| 100,000 - 325,000 |
Scotch bonnet |
| 100,000 - 225,000 |
African birdseye (aka "African Devil") |
| 100,000 - 200,000 |
Jamaican hot pepper |
| 100,000 - 125,000 |
Carolina cayenne pepper |
| 95,000 - 110,000 |
Bahamian pepper |
| 85,000 - 115,000 |
Tabiche pepper |
| 50,000 - 100,000 |
Chiltepin pepper |
| 50,000 - 100,000 |
Rocoto |
| 40,000 - 58,000 |
Pequin 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
Disputed, unverified or erroneous claims of SHU values:
| 855,000 |
Naga Jolokia pepper |
| 560,000 - 890,000 |
Thai Green Chilies (this looks like a factor 10 too high rating) |
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