Scoville Units (ENGL)
Abbreviations: SCU = Scoville Units, SHU =
Scoville Heat Units, sometimes also SU oder SC.
The
notorious measurement of hotness, the Scoville Unit, gained its name
from the American pharmacologist Wilbour L. Scoville (1865-1942). In
1912, he developed a method to determine the capsaicin content of a
chili pepper. Shortly afterwards, he published his study in the
renowned “Journal of the American Pharmacists Association”.
As
any respectable scientist would, Mr. Scoville began to collect data
through a series of experiments. His surprisingly simple methods
consisted of diluting and tasting. A number of human guinea pigs
tried the watered-down solutions of chili-containing substances over
a longer period of time. Through the observations of his test
subjects, Scoville could determine a point of dilution at which the
majority of people no longer noticed any spiciness. This point helped
him establish the classification of the substance on the Scoville
scale, from 0 SCU up to 16,000,000 SCU. For example, Tabasco sauce
contains between 3,000 and 5,000 SCU. Some of the sauces in our range
of products reach several million SCU!
Unfortunately, this
method proved to be not only time consuming, but also lacked
accuracy, since everyone reacts differently to capsaicin. Individual
eating habits, genetic factors, the personal level of training in all
things spicy and even the mood of the day all have a clear influence
on the perception of spiciness. So hotness is all a matter of
relativity!
Nowadays, the classification of Scoville
Units no longer requires torturing human subjects – unless, of
course, they choose to do so. In the meantime, a high performance
fluid chromatography test can determine the
capsaicin content very accurately in a laboratory. But since this
modern method of analysis does not follow any strict guidelines, the
results of different institutes and laboratories cannot really be
compared. The manufacturer's specifications about their individual
products' Scoville Units should therefore be enjoyed with caution.
Rumour has it that some manufacturers even intentionally exaggerate
their product's Scoville Units because spicier hot sauces sell
better.
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