At
the beginning of the 20th century, a scientist named Wilbur Scoville was
experimenting with the heat generating effects of capsaicin from peppers
for the Parke Davis drug company. His problem was determining the exact
strength of his various extracts so he developed a system to measure the
"heat" of peppers based on the strength and mix of the
capsaicinoids. Simply put he would dilute a sample with water until the
human tongue could no longer detect any heat. The hotter the mixture-the
greater quantity of water was required to dilute it. The number of
"units" of water required were termed "Scoville
Units" and most of the varieties of peppers in the world have been
tested and rated on the "Scoville Scale".
At the botom of the scale Sweet Bell Peppers rank at virtually 0 while
at the top end the Habanero and Scotch Bonnet can be as high as
300,000 Scoville Units. (For reference the ubiquitous Jalapeno ranks
around 3,000 to 5,000 Scoville Units). All of our Outerbridge's Original
products are loved for their heat however the flavour is what sets us
apart.
At
the beginning of the 20th century, a scientist named Wilbur Scoville was
experimenting with the heat generating effects of capsaicin from peppers
for the Parke Davis drug company. His problem was determining the exact
strength of his various extracts so he developed a system to measure the
"heat" of peppers based on the strength and mix of the
capsaicinoids. Simply put he would dilute a sample with water until the
human tongue could no longer detect any heat. The hotter the mixture-the
greater quantity of water was required to dilute it. The number of
"units" of water required were termed "Scoville
Units" and most of the varieties of peppers in the world have been
tested and rated on the "Scoville Scale".