The Scoville Scale, used to indicate the degree of heat of peppers, has a new queen: the Guinness World Records organization officially declared Pepper X as the hottest pepper in the world, rated at an average of 2,693,000 Scoville heat units (Scoville Heat Units or SHU).
Its predecessor, the well-known Carolina Reaper, had an average of 1.64 million SHU. Both were created and cultivated by Ed Currie, founder of the Puckerbutt Pepper Company, in the United States.
For comparison, a jalapeño pepper has about 3,000 to 8,000 SHU. Pepper X’s score was calculated by Winthrop University in South Carolina, which conducted tests using samples from the last four years.
Currie revealed the new champion during a special edition of the YouTube show “Hot Ones,” known for its show in which host Sean Evans asks celebrities questions while they eat chicken wings with different levels of heat.
According to the Guinness World Records website, contrary to what many people think, capsaicin, the active component of chilli peppers, is more concentrated in the placenta, the tissue that contains the seeds, and not in the seeds themselves.
The exterior of Pepper X has lots of curves and bumps, which means there is more area inside for the placenta to grow. Currie has grown Pepper X on his farm for more than 10 years, crossing it with some of his hottest peppers to increase its capsaicin content.
“When we started the crossover, there were two peppers that I really loved the flavor of, but neither of them were hot enough for my taste,” he revealed during the “Hot Ones” episode.
According to the Guinness website, because first generation plants are still very similar to blended peppers, it may take several years for the desired characteristics to emerge through selective breeding. According to Currie, he is already working on Pepper X’s successor.
In the video you can see how hot the pepper is: while Currie and expert Chili Klaus eat a whole pepper, presenter Sean Evans and expert Noah Chaimberg only eat small pieces.
Evans feels the burn right away, while the others try to assimilate the flavor. According to Evans and Chaimberg, the smell of Pepper X is similar to that of a tangerine peel. After a few seconds, Klaus has difficulty answering Currie’s questions, who seems to be used to the pepper.
Source: CNN Brasil
Charles Grill is a tech-savvy writer with over 3 years of experience in the field. He writes on a variety of technology-related topics and has a strong focus on the latest advancements in the industry. He is connected with several online news websites and is currently contributing to a technology-focused platform.
