The Scoville Scale of Heat provides information on whether you can tolerate the pepper or not.
Hot sauce is prepared from cayenne, jalapeño, and habanero peppers. These peppers all contain capsaicinoids, which act on the same nerve fibers that sense actual heat. Capsaicin is used to flavor foods, in pepper spray, and muscle rubs to reduce aches. The amount of capsaicin in a given pepper can vary depending on the light and temperature at which the plant is grown, the age of the fruit, and the position of the fruit on the plant
The Scoville scale is named after its creator, American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville, who invented it in 1912. In the original Scoville test, an exact weight of dried pepper was dissolved in alcohol to extract the heat capsaicinoids. It was then diluted in a solution of sugar water. ] Decreasing concentrations of the extracted capsaicinoids were given to a panel of five trained tasters, until at least three could no longer detect the heat. A weakness of the Scoville organoleptic test was its imprecision due to human error, depending on the taster’s palate and number of mouth heat receptors, which vary widely among people. It was a subjective and imprecise test!
Today, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is used to measure the exact capsaicinoid content as an indicator of heat. HPLC uses highly scientific measuring methods to regulate variables.
Check out the list to see how your favorite hot sauce fits into the Scoville scale.
