European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

STUDY THE EVOLUTION OF THE SCOVILLE INDEX OF FIVE VARIETIES OF CHILI PEPPERS IN FIVE SAUCES COMMONLY CONSUMED IN THE CITY OF MAN

KONE Mohamed Ba*, KOUADIO Kouakou K. Armand and SORO L. Chantal

ABSTRACT

In Ivory Coast, where chili is an almost essential ingredient in traditional sauces, the perception of the spicy flavor is a key organoleptic element. The Scoville index is a scale that allows you to determine the heat of a pepper. However, the perception of the spicy flavor of chili peppers can vary depending on food matrices. The objective of this work was to study the evolution of the Scoville index of five varieties of peppers in five sauces commonly consumed in the city of Man. For this study, a panel of 25 people previously trained in the Scoville test was formed. This panel had to classify the different sauces on the simplified Scoville scale after incorporating the five varieties of peppers. The highest index was that of the pair “sauce claire/ Capscicum annuum yellow ” with a degree of 7 corresponding to 20,000 Scoville units. The lowest index was that of the pair “ sauce arrachide/ Capsicum fructescens sweet ” and “sauce graine/ Capsicum fructescens sweet”. This study established that the strength of chili pepper is less perceptible in sauces with high-fat content.

Keywords: Chili pepper, Sauces, Scoville scale, Man.