Red hot colour of chile pepper products are due to the presence of a group of capsicum carotenoids in the chile pods. Major among these carotenoids are capsanthin, capsorubin, and cryptocapsin. Capsanthin is the major carotenoid in ripe, red fruits and it contributes up to 60% of the total carotenoids.

Capsanthin is the major reason behind the red hot colour of the ripe chile peppers. Capsicum carotenoids increase proportionally with the age/ripeness of the fruits. The yellow-orange color is due to the presence of beta-carotene and violaxanthin. The amount of Capsicum carotenoids in fruits varies with the cultivars.

Pungency and Hotness of Chile Peppers: Pungency and hotness are the most important traits of chile peppers. The pungency of chile peppers is due to the presence of capsaicinoids, a group of alkaloid compounds. Capsaicinoids are found only in the plant genus ‘Capsicum’ and are produced in the glands on the fruit. Capsaicin, an antioxidant constitutes a major part of capsaicinoids, the level of which varies depending on the cultivar of the chile peppers.

Classification Based on Pungency and Hotness: The varieties of chile peppers may be broadly categorized into THREE groups based on the pungency and hotness of the chile pepper fruits. These are: non-pungent, mildly pungent and highly pungent. Most of the long narrow type chile peppers such as green chili peppers are highly pungent while short, thick-fleshed chile peppers such as jalapeno peppers are mildly pungent. Bell peppers are non-pungent chile peppers. Generally, Capsicum frutescens and Capsicum chinense chile peppers are much more pungent than Capsicum annuum group of chile peppers.

SHU (Scoville Heat Unit) of Chile Pepper: Pungency and hotness of chile peppers is rated in terms of “Scoville Heat Units” (SHU). Scoville heat index is measured in multiples of 100 units where sweet peppers/bell peppers, the mildest chile pepper is given zero units and one of the hottest chile pepper Naga Jolokia (Ghost Pepper) is given over 1,000,000 Scoville units. Heat level of all other chile peppers falls in between these two extremes. Pure capsaicin is 16,000,000 SHU.

A detailed account of SHU level of various cultivated species of chile peppers is given below:

  1. Capsicum chinense above 1,000,000 SHU
  2. Capsicum frutescens up to 150,000 SHU
  3. Capsicum annuum up to 100,000 SHU
  4. Capsicum pubescens up to 50,000 SHU
  5. Capsicum baccatum up to 30,000 SHU

A detailed account of SHU level of various commercial chile peppers is given below:

  1. California Reaper Peppers, Ghost Peppers and Trinidad Scorpion Peppers: 1,000,000 SHU or more
  2. Red Savina Peppers: 350,000 to 577,000 SHU
  3. Habanero and Scotch Bonnet Peppers: 100,000 to 350,000 SHU
  4. Chiltepins, and Thai Peppers(Birds Eye Peppers): 50,000 to 150,000 SHU
  5. Piquin, Cayenne, Tabasco & Rocoto Peppers: 30,000 to 50,000 SHU
  6. Aji Peppers: 15,000 to 30,000 SHU
  7. Serrano Peppers: 5,000 to 15,000 SHU
  8. Jalapenos, Mirasol Peppers, Banana Peppers and Hungarian Wax Peppers: 2,500 to 5,000 SHU
  9. Anaheim, Rocotillo, and Cascabel Peppers: 1,500 to 2,500 SHU
  10. Ancho, and Pasilla Peppers: 1,000 to 1,500 SHU
  11. Cherry Peppers, and New Mexican Peppers: 500 to 1,000 SHU
  12. Bell Peppers: 0 SHU

Commercial Classification of Chile Peppers: In some parts of the world chile peppers and various chile products are classified based on the concentration of capsaicinoids in them for commercial purposes. Mainly three groups are there and these are Paprika, Chili Peppers and Red Peppers.

  1. Paprika: Chile pepper fruits that have 10 to 30 parts per million (PPM) capsaicinoids (non-pungent) in them and the products derived from them are grouped under ‘paprika’. These products include non-pungent chili powder, dried chilies, chili sauce etc.
  2. Chili peppers: Chile pepper fruits that have 30 to 600 parts per million (PPM) capsaicinoids in them and products derived from them are grouped under this category. These are moderately pungent chili peppers, chili powder and other products.
  3. Red peppers: Chile pepper fruits that have 600 to 13,000 parts per million (PPM) capsaicinoids (highly pungent) in them and products derived from them are grouped under this category. These are highly pungent red chilies and their products.

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