Testing the heat of chilli peppers
Chili peppers are the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum and are members
of the Solanaceae.
Heat is caused by a group of chemicals called capsaicinoids, their concentration
is measured by HPLC and expressed in Scoville Heat Units (SHUs). SHUs vary
according to cultivar and the heat level of chilli peppers is also affected by
growing conditions and age of fruit.
An individual’s reaction to heat in chilli peppers is highly subjective, but chilli
peppers can be roughly divided into the following categories:
Sweet: 0 SHUs
Mild: up to 5,000 SHUs
Low medium: 5,000—20,000 SHUs
High medium: 20,000—35,000 SHUs
Hot: 35,000—100,000 SHUs
Very hot: 100,000—500,000 SHUs
Superhot: 500,000 + SHUs
Andrew Jukes from
Warwick Crop Centre
has been providing an
analytical service to test
the heat of chilli peppers
for a number of years.
You can find out more
on youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9O6kBD37jE
Warwick Crop Centre
www.warwick.ac.uk/go/wcc