The Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) is a measurement of the heat or spiciness of a substance, usually a chili pepper. It is determined by a sensory test in which a panel of tasters evaluates the chili’s heat level and assigns it a rating on the Scoville scale. However, HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) can also be used to measure the concentration of capsaicinoids in a sample, which is then used to calculate the SHU. Here are the steps involved:
Sample preparation: The chili pepper or other spicy substance is ground or otherwise homogenized to ensure a representative sample. It is then extracted with a suitable solvent to isolate the capsaicinoids, the compounds responsible for the heat.
HPLC analysis: The capsaicinoids in the extract are separated by HPLC using a suitable column and mobile phase. The HPLC instrument measures the amount of each capsaicinoid present in the sample.
Calculation of SHU: The concentration of each capsaicinoid is used to calculate the total capsaicinoid concentration in the sample.
Note that the HPLC method is now replaced by FoodSense.
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