SOP: Pungency Rating by the Scoville Method
GIFSQ — Global Institute for Food Safety & Quality
Principle
The pungent principles are extracted with ethyl alcohol, and serial dilutions of the clear extract in sweetened water are tasted until a distinct pungency in the throat or mouth is just perceptible; the Scoville value is the total dilution factor at that point.
Reagents
a. Ethyl alcohol.
b. 5% solution of sugar in distilled water.
Procedure
Weigh 1 g of the material and mix with 50 ml of ethyl alcohol
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Allow the mixture to stand for 24 hr, with occasional shaking
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Prepare serial dilutions of the clear supernatant with a 5% solution of sugar in distilled water
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Swallow 5 ml of the diluted solution and note the presence or absence of a distinct pungency in the throat or mouth
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For example, if 1 ml of the clear supernatant extract diluted to 150 ml with 5% sugar solution produced a barely perceptible sensation of pungency, the Scoville value would be 50 × 150 = 7500
Calculation
Scoville value = volume of alcohol used per g of sample (ml) × dilution at which pungency is just perceptible
Where,
- The volume of alcohol used per g of sample = 50 ml in the example above
- The dilution = final volume to which the clear supernatant aliquot was diluted (e.g., 150)
Pungency rating of some products:
| Spice | Scoville units |
|---|---|
| Cayenne pepper | 35,000 – 55,000 |
| Red pepper | 15,000 – 35,000 |
| Red pepper flavouring preparation | 15,000 – 35,000 |
References
Ranganna, S., Handbook of Analysis and Quality Control for Fruit and Vegetable Products, 2nd edition.