How is the heat of chili peppers measured and what is the hottest pepper?
by 
Kim Siever
ANSWERS: 3
-
Peppers contain an ingredient called "capsaicin". It is an organic nitrogen lipid and it is this ingredient that gives peppers their "heat". Capsaicin is measured in Scoville units. A Scoville unit is the number of parts of sugar water needed to dilute the "heat" to the point where it is not detected. Jalapeños are measured at around 4,500 Scoville units, which means it takes 4,500 parts of sugar water for every one part of jalapeño extract before the heat is dissipated. The pepper with the highest Scoville unit rating is the Red Savina Habañero. It measures between 350,000 - 577,000 Scoville units. The next hottest is the plain habañero at between 150,000 and 325,000 Scoville units.
-
The hottest pepper in the world is the Thai Pepper, the second is a genetically altered pepper known as the Charleston Pepper, then the Red Savina Pepper. I worked in resturants for years with cajuns who are what you would call hot pepper fanatics. I argued for years that the habenero was the hottest until i smelled a Thai Pepper.
-
The Scoville scale is a measure of the hotness or, more correctly, piquancy of a chili pepper.the Bhut Jolokia chili from India has been named the world's hottest pepper by the Guinness Book of World Records.
RELATED QUESTIONS
Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC