The Scoville scale is a
measurement of the pungency of chili peppers and other spicy foods, as recorded
in Scoville Heat Units (SHU) based on the concentration of capsaicinoids, among
which capsaicin is the predominant component.
Pungency means spiciness or
"heat" of chili peppers and other spicy foods, Capsaicinoids are
class of compounds causing pungency in plants like chili peppers. Examples of
Capsaicinoids includes; Resiniferatoxin, Tinyatoxin, Capsaicin,
Dihydrocapsaicin, Nonivamide, Nordihydrocapsaicin, Homocapsaicin,
Homodihydrocapsaicin, Shogaol, Piperine, Gingerol and Capsiate. Later on this
article you'll see these compounds with their scoville heat units (SHU).
The scale is actually a measure of
the concentration of the chemical compound capsaicin which is the active
component that produces the heat sensation for humans. The name capsaicin comes
from the scientific classification of the pepper plant, a type of fruit, that
belongs to the genus Capsicum.
Capsaicin occurs naturally in
chilli peppers together with a number of very similar compounds referred to
generically as capsaicinoids, it is the precise ration of these capsaicinoids
which causes the differences in taste reaction to different pepper species. To
know more about the origin of Svoville Scale (Scoville heat units) CLICK HERE.
Scoville heat units (SHU)
[Scoville Scale] is determined by two methods, Scoville organoleptic test and
Pungency units, the following are descriptions about these two methods.
1. Scoville organoleptic test
Scoville organoleptic test involve
an exact weight of dried pepper which dissolved in alcohol to extract the heat
components (capsaicinoids), then diluted in a solution of sugar water.
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. The heat level is based on this dilution, rated in
multiples of 100 SHU.
Conventional methods used in
determining the level of pungency or capsaicin concentration are using a panel
of tasters (Scoville Organoleptic test method). This measurement involve the
highest dilution of a chili pepper extract at which heat can be detected by a
taste panel.
Scoville organoleptic test has
many weakness, is not accuracy compared to 'Pungency units method' because its
imprecision is due to human subjectivity, depending on the taster's palate and
number of mouth heat receptors, which vary widely among people. Also because of
sensory fatigue; the palate is quickly desensitized to capsaicinoids after
tasting a few samples within a short time period. Results vary widely (up to ± 50%) between laboratories.
2. Pungency units
This method is more accuracy than
the first one, involve the use high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
for analytical quantification of the capsaicinoid content as an indicator of
pungency.
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.
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. HPLC results permit the measurement of a substance’s capsaicin capacity to produce
perceived heat ("pungency"). This method gives results in American
Spice Trade Association "pungency units", which are defined as one
part capsaicin per million parts dried pepper mass.
For parts per million (ppm)
measurements, SHU units are calculated from "parts per million of
heat" (ppmH), Scoville heat units are found by multiplying the ppmH value
by a factor of 15 or 16. 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.
The following are level of
pungency in terms of Scoville units;
Capsicum chili peppers are
commonly used to add pungency in cuisines worldwide. The range of pepper heat
reflected by a Scoville score is from 100 or less (sweet peppers) to over 3
million (Pepper X)
Examples of Capsaicinoids
(Capsaicin pharmacophore) with their Scoville Heat Units (SHU).
Capsaicin pharmacophore
(Capsaicinoids), are class of compounds causing pungency in plants like chili
peppers, which display a linear correlation between concentration and Scoville
scale, and may vary in content during ripening. Capsaicin is the major
capsaicinoid in chili peppers. The following are examples of these compounds
with their SHU.
CONCLUSION
Numerical results for any specimen
vary depending on its cultivation conditions and the uncertainty of the laboratory
methods used to assess the capsaicinoid content. 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.
If you've any opinion about this
article feel free to leave your thoughts on the comment section below, You are
welcome!, Don't miss our future posts, Stay tuned!.
Posted by: Lusubilo A. Mwaijengo
Great article!
ReplyDeleteI also did some research about 5 hottest chili peppers that you can find on earth based on the Scoville scale. See below for the article:
https://5knowledges.com/5-hottest-chili-peppers-on-earth-scoville-scale/
Thank you!
Post a Comment