The scoville scale

What is the SCOVILLE SCALE I hear you ask well,

Wikipedia defines it as

“The Scoville scale is a measurement of the Spice, heat piquance of a Chili_pepper. The number of Scoville heat units (SHU) indicates the amount of capsaicin present. Capsaicin is a chemical compound that stimulates chemoreceptor nerve endings in the skin, especially the mucous membranes.

The scale is named after its creator, American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville. His method, devised in 1912, is known as the Scoville Organoleptic Test. The modern commonplace method for quantitative analysis uses high-performance liquid chromatography, making it possible to directly measure capsaicinoid content”

Here is a quick diagram to explain the rating system

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High Performance Liquid Chromatograph
The Scoville test is now done by High Performance Liquid Chromatograph, a modern machine which has replaced the human tasters. This machine is very sensitive to pungency of the chilli just like the human tongue. In this method, the capsaicin is extracted from the dried and grounded chilli pods. The sample is injected to HPLC machine to detect the pungency. The test done by high performance liquid chromatograph is less time consuming, inexpensive, and eliminates inaccuracy.