Re:Pepper X
by 4gotunameagain on Friday October 20, 2023 @05:37AM
(#37954036)
from the wikipedia page:
The extensive curves and ridges of a Pepper X chili create more surface area for the plant placenta and locules to grow and retain capsaicin, adding to the intensity of heat experienced when a Pepper X is eaten.[2].
Yep. Scovilles are (roughly) ppm capsaicin x 16, so Pepper X is about 170mg/g.
Most of the capsaicin is in the pith. On some peppers the pith is not really differentiated from the flesh other than the ribs that jut out and where the seeds hang. On the reaper and some of these other hot peppers, the pith is a very noticeable membrane covering the entire inside surface of the pepper. The flesh of the pepper is actually very thin, so you end up with with a lot of pith and not that much more flesh. That's how the percentage can get so high.
Re:Pepper X
by Gregordinary on Friday October 20, 2023 @07:54AM
(#37954939)
Superhots also produce capsaicin in the fruit, unique from non-superhots. Removing the pith from a ghost, reaper, etc., will significantly reduce the heat but still contain a lot of capsaicin from vesicles present in the fruit itself.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279564263_Novel_For...
10% of the Carolina Reaper, by weight, is capsaicin. I think that this is why all high-capsaicin peppers look so shriveled and stunted -- the capsaicin itself interferes with normal structural development.
To put it into perspective: Your regular jalapeno pepper has a capsaicin content of 0.22mg/g.
[1] - https://mendelnet.cz/pdfs/mnt/2017/01/96.pdf