What is a Scoville heat unit?

  • The Scoville scale was developed by an American chemist, Wilbur Scoville in 1912, in order to rate and determine the pungency of chili and jalapeno peppers or measure spicy heat.
  • Today most pepper processing facilities use high-performance liquid chromatography also known as HPLC to measure the amounts of capsaicin that a particular pepper may contain.
  • The higher the rating on the Scoville scale the hotter the pepper.

Definitions

  • Capsaicin:  An active component of chili peppers, which are plants belonging to the genus Capsicum. Pure capsaicin is a volatile, hydrophobic, colorless, odorless, crystalline to waxy compound.
  • Drip Irrigation System:  A method which saves water and fertilizer by allowing water to drip slowly onto the soil surface or directly into the root zone through a network of valves, pipes, tubing, and emitters. This creates a healthy fresh environment for our peppers to grow.
  • Seedlings: A young plant sporophyte developing out of a plant embryo from a seed. Seedling development starts with germination of the seed.