Print This PagePepper Heat Scale
The Scoville scale was developed by Wilbur Scoville in 1912 to measure the heat level in chilies. The greater the number of Scoville units, the hotter the pepper. Pure capsaicin measures 16,000,000 Scoville units. The Guiness Book of World Records recently certified a new entry for “world’s hottest pepper,” a variety called Bhut Jolokia from India. It registered a mind-numbing 1,001,304 Scovilles on a dry basis (which roughly corresponds to 100,000 on a fresh basis.)
