4.+Rating+the+Heat+of+Chile+Peppers



The heat of a chile is technically known as the pungency level. A chile’s pungency depends upon the plants’ genetics and the growing conditions. The heat of chiles varies depending upon region, soil, weather, and other growing conditions. Therefore, the exact same chile type grown in different regions may have different ratings. Plant breeders can affect a chiles’ pungency by varying water amounts and temperature levels at which the chile is grown. However, this process is not completely understood yet. "The heat is due to capsaicin, an alkaloid, and four related chemicals, collectively called capsaicinoids. Each capsaicinoid has a different effect on the mouth, and variation in the proportions of these chemical is responsible for the differing sensations produced by different varieties. Capsaicin causes pain and inflammation if consumed to excess, and can even burn the skin on contact in high concentrations (habañeros, for example, are routinely picked with gloves). It is also the primary ingredient in pepper spray" (The Nibble, 2005, p.1).

In 1912, an American chemist named Wilbur L. Scoville devised a system to measure the heat of various chile peppers. Scoville originally blended different types of ground chiles with a sugar water solution. Then test subjects sipped the mixture in increasingly diluted concentrations until the liquid no longer burned their mouths. A number was then assigned to each chile depending on how much it had to be diluted before the testers could taste no heat. This scale was and is still called the Scoville Units.

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 * References**

Chili Pepper Madness. Retrieved from [] Nearman, S. (1996). //Chile heat scale: just how how are my chiles//? Retrieved from [] Mexican Food and Gifts ToGo. (1999). //Chili peppers//. Retrieved from [] Penzey's Spices. //Chili peppers//. Retrieved from [] Pepper Fool. (2007). //Welcome to the pepper fool's recipe pages//. Retrieved from [] Spice of Life. (2010). Retrieved from [] Stradley, L. (2004). //Chile peppers: how to prepare fresh chile peppers- how to roast fresh chile peppers- how to prepare dried chile peppers//. -- Retrieved from [] The Nibble. (2005). //Chile pepper glossary//. Retrieved from [] The Great Chilli Farm. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.chillifarm.com/chilli_info/history_of_the_chilli.asp