Scoville shu
The Scoville Heat Scale is based on Scoville heat units ( SHU). These heat units are used to measure the pungency of chili peppers (capsaicin). This unit was introduced in 1912 by the pharmacist Wilbur Scoville. It measures the level of heat in peppers, primarily caused by compounds known as capsaicinoids, with capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin making up about 95% of these compounds. The measuring process involves dissolving 1 grain of powdered pepper in 100 milliliters of ethanol. The ethanol extracts the capsaicin, which is then diluted with sweetened water. The solution is tested by a panel of human tasters who assess the heat level by detecting the point at which the pepper’s spiciness is no longer noticeable. The degree of dilution required to reach this threshold indicates the pepper’s heat level in Scoville units. For example, if a pepper’s solution needs to be diluted 1,000 times for the heat to be barely perceptible, it is rated at 1,000 Scoville units.
Comments
Post a Comment