News + Trends

The hottest chilli in the world is simply brutal

24/10/2023

Translation: machine translated

"Pepper X" breaks all previous spiciness records in the world. Eating it is likely to be harmful to your health.

However, the chilli must be handled with the utmost care and it is probably not advisable to eat it: "Pepper X" is the hottest chilli ever bred by humans and breaks all records, as reported by Guinness World Records. The breeding achieves a value of 2.69 million Scoville heat units (SHU), the unit of measurement used to indicate spiciness. This means that "Pepper X" surpasses the previous leader "Carolina Reaper" by one million units. It is 500 times hotter than a standard jalapeño pepper, which is commonly used in Mexican cuisine, for example.

The plant was bred by Ed Currie from the US state of South Carolina, who is already responsible for the "Carolina Reaper". The breeding process took over ten years in total, during which Currie carried out strict breeding selection and crossed various super-hot chillies with each other to ultimately create the new record holder. Its pungency was tested in a laboratory at Winthrop University and the value achieved was determined. Neither the pods nor seeds from the plant are to be sold - which is probably best for health reasons.

As he told the BBC, Currie is one of only five people to have consumed a complete "Pepper X" so far. A very impressive experience: "I felt the spiciness for three and a half hours before cramps set in. And the cramps were terrible. I lay flat on a marble floor in the rain for an hour, moaning in pain," says the grower, who is used to eating extremely hot chillies. Untrained people are therefore strongly advised not to "enjoy" them, as the "hot chilli challenge" spread via social media shows. Several young people have had to be hospitalised as a result; there have even been reports of deaths.

The capsaicin responsible for the spicy sensation is mainly found in the so-called placenta of the chilli, the light-coloured tissue that carries the seeds. Due to the special shape of the fruit, "Pepper X" can form this placenta over a comparatively large area, which leads to an increased concentration of capsaicin. The compound causes the body to release dopamine and endorphins through the sensation of heat, which in turn can trigger feelings of happiness (if you can tolerate the spiciness). According to Currie himself, the chillies helped him to overcome his alcohol addiction.

The SHU goes back to the pharmacologist Wilbur Scoville, who developed it in 1912. In the past, the degree of pungency was determined indirectly and purely subjectively, but today it is mainly determined by measurement.

Spectrum of science

We are partners of Spektrum der Wissenschaft and want to make well-founded information more accessible to you. Follow Spektrum der Wissenschaft if you like the articles.

[[small:]]

Cover image: Jack Lete, CC BY-SA 4.0

13 people like this article