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The Scoville Heat Rating System
The Scoville Heat Unit Scale is
the industry standard in which the heat of chile peppers is
measured and compared. This scale is named after the man who
developed it, Wilbur Scoville, who was a pharmacologist with Parke
Davis. In 1912 he developed a method which used a panel of five
taste testers. They took exact weights of chile peppers and
dissolved the capsaicin in alcohol. This solution was then diluted
with sugar water until it was no longer detectable to the palate.
For example, if the dilution required was 1,000 units of water to
1 unit of alcohol solution then the sample was said to measure
1,000 Scoville Units. At least three panel members had to agree
before a value was assigned. Although the development of this
method was innovative in classifying the chile peppers according
to heat, it was highly subjective and imprecise because it
involved human testers.
Today high-pressure liquid
chromatography, a sophisticated analytical method which uses a
Liquid Chromatograph, is used to measure capsaicin content in
peppers. This method is much more accurate and precise. It
measures the capsaicin levels in parts per million (mg/L). This is
then converted to Scoville Units.
The Official Chile Heat Scale
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Rating
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Approximate Scoville Units
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Chile Varieties
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1
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100-500
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Anaheim
|
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2
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500-1000
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Poblano
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3
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1,000-1,500
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Passilla
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4
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1,500-2,500
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Cherry Hots
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5
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2,500-5,000
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Jalapeno,Red Fresno
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6
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5,000-15,000
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Serrano, Yellow Caribe
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7
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15,000-30,000
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de Arbol, Asian hots
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8
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30,000-50,000
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Thai, Rocoto, Cayenne
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9
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50,000-100,000
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Rocoto, Aji
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10
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100,000-300,000
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Habanero, Scotch Bonnet
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