High-Performance Liquid Chromatography determines the concentration of capsaicin in a pepper but uses the same Scoville ranking system. Pure capsaicin ranks at 16 million SHU.

Ever wondered why spicy foods make your mouth feel like it's on fire? Ever wondered why spicy foods make your mouth feel like it's on fire? The answer lies in a chemical compound called capsaicin ...

High-Performance Liquid Chromatography determines the concentration of capsaicin in a pepper but uses the same Scoville ranking system. Pure capsaicin ranks at 16 million SHU.

Scientists can convert between the amount of capsaicin per gram of dried pepper and SHUs; the Dragon’s Breath’s 2.48 million SHUs translates to 0.155 grams of capsaicin per gram of dried pepper.

If that’s not hot enough for you, keep in mind that pure capsaicin ranks in at between 15 and 16 million SHU. Pepper spray lands at around 5 million units.

“Scientists think peppers evolved to produce capsaicin to keep animals from eating the fruit,” Steve Reiners, Ph.D., a plant science professor at Cornell University, wrote in 2021.

In general, the more capsaicin a pepper has, the hotter it tastes. The Chilica-pod is sensitive, capable of detecting extremely low levels of the fiery molecule, researchers report in the Oct. 23 ...