[CH] Scoville units math question

Jim Graham (spooky130@cox.net)
Mon, 17 Sep 2007 20:37:36 -0500 

Ok, here's a question (related to my previous e-mail---the difference
in heat levels of the habanero jelly---the milder of the two---and the
tabasco jelly made me finally *HAVE TO* ask this question)....

I've seen habanero sauces that are over 50% habanero that end up with
ratings like 5000 Scoville units (barely hotter than a ripe, fresh
jalepeno out of the garden, if we're to believe the numbers).  And, as
I mentioned before, I made two jellies recently, one with 12 fresh
habs, and the other with 2/3 cup (after dicing) of fresh tabascos...and
the tabasco jelly was CONSIDERABLY hotter (almost as hot as the hottest
Thai food I've gotten lately...i.e., the examples that I did NOT gripe
about being too mild).

I've got a good *general* idea of how it all works, from 10+ years of
eating (gradually...and sometimes not-so-gradually hotter) fire.  It's
simple enough:  more peppers == hotter.  But to what end?  What I'm
wondering about here is the actual chemistry and math that's involved
(ok, not math or chemistry as in a formula, but concepts).

First, let's ignore non-chile items and just look at the heat from the
peppers themselves (e.g., the jelly example, where everything else is
constant).  Does a larger amount of considerably less-hot peppers end
up *HOTTER* than a smaller amount of much hotter peppers?  Or does the
larger amount of less-hot peppers just end up with their heat being
*LESS DILUTED* than the hotter peppers?

Put another way:  if I take one pepper at 45k SU (45,000 Scoville units,
and yeah, I know the actual number varies depending on lots of things,
including growing conditions, watering, phase of the moon, planetary
alignment, cost of a barrel of oil, price of tea in China, and so
on...for simplicity, let's just assume 45k), I know that I have 45k SU.
But what if I take 10X the amount of the same peppers?  Can then number
actually EXCEED the heat of the hottest pepper in the bunch?  Or does a
higher number of peppers just help to APPROACH that 45k?

Basically, if all other things are constant, can peppers with heat level
X add up to be 10X, or are they merely able to add up to overcome the
effects of being "diluted" with other non-chile ingredients (you know,
that extra stuff that just goes nicely with the peppers), with heat level
approaching X?

NOTE:  The above paragraphs are intended to ask exactly the same
question, except from different angles.  I know the end result, as
far as the tongue, mouth, lips, backside the next morning, etc. are
concerned....

What prompted all of this is the difference between the two jellies.
I'm wondering if the tabascos actually exceeded their own heat level
and thus became hotter than the habs, or if the habs were diluted
down to a lower level.  A lot of text for such a simple question, no?
Yeah, that's what happens when I'm tired.

I don't normally get bogged down in the numbers, but when making
recipes, it is nice to have some idea of where things are headed given
X number of peppers...thus this rather strange question.  :-)

Later,
   --jim

PS:  BONUS QUESTION (no, I don't have an answer):  If all of the
     habanero-based stuff I've come to love is really only down around
     45k SU or less, why can I eat a fresh hab, fresh Thai pepper, etc.,
     just as easily?

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