Scoville scale

The Scoville scale expresses chili pepper pungency in Scoville heat units (SHU), based on capsaicinoid concentration. Its original sensory test was later largely replaced by chemical analysis.

Scoville organoleptic test: A dilution-and-tasting procedure used to estimate chili pepper pungency by the concentration at which tasters no longer detected heat. This original sensory method gave the scale its first measurements.
Wilbur Scoville: An American pharmacist who devised a sensory test for measuring chili pepper pungency in 1912. His protocol became the scale’s namesake and original measurement method.
Chili pepper: The pungent fruit of plants in the genus Capsicum, used as a vegetable, spice, and seasoning. Pepper varieties are the principal foods whose pungency the scale compares.
Jalapeño: A moderately pungent chili pepper cultivar of Capsicum annuum, commonly eaten fresh or pickled. It serves as a familiar reference point for interpreting pepper heat ratings.
High-performance liquid chromatography: An analytical method that separates compounds in a liquid mixture as it passes through a column under pressure. Laboratories use it to quantify capsaicinoids more reliably than tasting.
Parke-Davis: An American pharmaceutical company that developed medicines and employed Wilbur Scoville. Scoville created his pungency test while working for the company.
Hot sauce: A liquid or paste condiment made with chili peppers and other ingredients. Producers and labels often use SHU to describe its heat.
Carolina Reaper: A highly pungent chili pepper cultivar developed in South Carolina and recognized by Guinness World Records as a record holder. Its exceptional heat contrasts with the lower ratings of common culinary peppers.
Capsaicinoid: A class of compounds, including capsaicin, responsible for the pungency of chili peppers. The scale’s modern measurements estimate the concentration of these compounds.
1912: A year in the Gregorian calendar, in the early twentieth century. Scoville introduced his organoleptic test in this year.

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