Scoville scale

The separation of capsaicinoid mixtures is important to assess the Scoville value of food spiced with chili pepper [42]. This Richter scale of pungency was devised by the Arizona pharmacist Scoville in 1902 to measure the pungency of peppers (see also Section 4.8). In its original version, the Scoville scale was sensory, being... 

The traditional way to evaluate the hotness in peppers or hot sauces is through a taste panel, measured by the Scoville scale, through a series of comparative evaluations of diluted samples. The taste panel method is subjective, costly, and time consuming. Capsaicins can be analyzed directly (without derivatization) by HPLC. The method is precise and rapid (20 minutes), and requires only a drop of filtered hot sauce. Figure 7.8 shows the... 

Fig. 3.54 The pungency of peppers on the Scoville scale and the strueture of capsaicin, the hot component of pepper. (Authors own work)...

The Scoville scale means how many times the pepper source has to be diluted before the pepper can no longer be detected. Instrumental methods are now used to measure capsaidnoid content most recently, scientists have found that they can measure capsaicinoid content by adsorbing capsaicin onto multi-walled carbon nanotubes and measuring the current when the capsaicin undergoes electrochemical oxidation. 

The development of new instrumental methods to replace the troubled Scoville procedure necessitated the design of an improved sensory method for validation of instrumental precision. A new sensory method (4) was designed which offered the following procedural improvements over the Scoville Method 1) a 20 minute aqueous extraction, (2) no ethanol used, 3) reference standard included in each test, 4) trained panelists, 5) timed tasting, rinsing and recess, 6) one dilution for all samples, and 7) use of a graphic line scale to score the heat sensation. 

Furthermore, the new sensory method avoids several problems inherent in the Scoville procedure. Heat build up, fatigue, and increased threshold are minimized by use of a standardized initial sample, as well as timed rinsing between samples. Ethanol bite is avoided by use of an aqueous extraction. The panel data may be manipulated statistically due to the linearity of the scale and the number of panelists. Reference standards are included. Extraction time is reduced from 16 hours to 20 minutes. Reproducibility of results has been demonstrated. The error of central tendency is avoided by not having a "middle sample. The new method is more comparable to normal food usage as it is an aqueous rather than ethanol extraction. 

The man best known for explaining the heat of chilies is Wilbur Scoville, who defined the Scoville unit for measuring chili power. He arbitrarily established the hotness of pure capsaicin as 16 million. On this scale a typical green or red chili has a rating of... 

Capsaicin is the hottest other capsaicinoids have similar structures but are not quite as hot . The hotness scale is measured in Scoville units (named after the inventor, Wilbur Scoville). Pure capsaicin... 

Falganme E, Hily-Blant P, Pety J (2009) Intermittency of interstellar turbulence extreme velocity-shears and CO emission on milliparsec scale. Astron Astrophys 507 355 Lis DC, Vaillancourt JE, Goldsmith PF, Bell TA, Scoville NZ, Zmuidzinas J (eds) (2009) Submillimeter astrophysics and technology a symposium honoring Thomas G. Phillips. ASP conference series, vol 417. Astronomical Society of the Pacific, San Francisco, p 243... 

---