Nanotech, capsaicin, chemistry, food, nanotubes, science, scoville units

Nanotech Precisely Measures Spiciness So Your Tongue Doesn't Have To

The Scoville Units you see on the side of chili sauce bottles are measured subjectively by taste testers, who determine how hot a given hot sauce really is. But now a new nanotechnology will allow food scientists to quickly and cheaply measure the exact amount of capsaicinoids — the active component in chili peppers — in each spicy sample. Science gives us many wondrous things, but you probably never thought it would help prevent you from making bland chili.

The usual Scoville test involves diluting a sauce until taste testers can't detect heat anymore — the amount required to dilute it gives it a rating on the Scoville Scale. Chromatography can give you an accurate reading of capsaicinoids, but it's neither cheap nor easy. The new test uses carbon nanotube electrodes to draw in capsaicin molecules, which have a unique electrochemical response. When the capsaicinoids react, the device measures the current change and determines exactly how many were present. It can even translate this number into Scoville Units.

While the developers think this will be very useful in the food industry, where it can be deployed right on the production line, I've got a better idea. We can use it to develop a hot sauce so intense that we can cover our bodies with it to protect us from hungry robots. Image by: Viewoftheworld.

Chemists Measure Chilli Sauce Hotness With Nanotubes. [Science Daily]

8:00 AM on Fri May 9 2008
By Ed Grabianowski
440 views
17 comments

Comments

Log1c at 08:12 AM on 05/09/08
Reply by Email
*

Wait so you mean the Scoville unit doesn't stand up to scientific accuracy!?! NOOO!!!

I was really hoping someone would squirt 1 million little sprays of water on their tongue after eating some hotsauce. And then someone else would stand up and scream No! It was 987,546! and they would fight to the death.
russdanger at 08:18 AM on 05/09/08
Reply by Email
*

Is there a crisis involving a shortage of human hot-sauce tasters? There are a few lunatics around my office who'll volunteer. It's some kind of masochistic-macho thing with them, I don't get it. They aren't truly happy until their glowing red eyes are popping out of their heads...
Gann at 08:20 AM on 05/09/08
Reply by Email
*

This is making me hungry. Mmmmm... habaneros
Miranda Kali at 08:21 AM on 05/09/08
Reply by Email
*
Connectedness Index: 150

I think what we need here is a cook-off, nice 'ole fashioned John Henry style. Get that there, fancied-up machine to see if it can whip up a batch of Teralingua Red as good as a human.
I'd throw down m'own family recipe fer consideration, but I don't know where I can find Chupacabra meat out of season.
...Hmmm maybe Trader Joes.
Git Em SteveDave at 08:35 AM on 05/09/08
Reply by Email
*
Connectedness Index: 177

@Miranda Kali: John Henry tasting on the right hand side,
Nano-tounge tasting on the left,
Says, 'fore I'll let your nano-tounge beat me down I'll burn my fool taste buds to death,
burn my fool taste buds to death

John Henry told his Captain,
Man ain't nothing but a man, And 'fore I'll let that nano-tounge beat me down
I'll die with this habanero in my hand,
Die with this jalapeno in my hand.
Ed Grabianowski at 08:39 AM on 05/09/08
Reply by Email
*
Connectedness Index: 55

@Git Em SteveDave: Bravo, sir. Bravo.
Miranda Kali at 08:46 AM on 05/09/08
Reply by Email
*
Connectedness Index: 150

@Git Em SteveDave:
If you didn't have a star all ready, I'd give you mine.
Hell, for that, you can still have it.
Garrison Dean, King... at 09:32 AM on 05/09/08
Reply by Email
*
Connectedness Index: 140

@Git Em SteveDave: :) full raves from the star crowd.
DocGratis at 09:41 AM on 05/09/08
Reply by Email
*

@Git Em SteveDave: Kudos... definitely kudos...

@Ed Grabianowski: And thank you for using Nanotech correctly...

I was excited to read a piece about nanotech that was about nanotech...
Git Em SteveDave at 10:07 AM on 05/09/08
Reply by Email
*
Connectedness Index: 177

@Ed Grabianowski: @Miranda Kali: @Garrison Dean, King Awesome: @DocGratis: I'm at work right now, so I couldn't do a full song. But thank you all.
DocGratis at 10:32 AM on 05/09/08
Reply by Email
*

@Garrison Dean, King Awesome: And me.. but I don't have a star...
Miranda Kali at 11:03 AM on 05/09/08
Reply by Email
*
Connectedness Index: 150

@DocGratis:
Oh but you do, Doc, you do. You just know that it's most important to wear it in your heart, not on your banner. :D
Glamourdammerung at 11:05 AM on 05/09/08
Reply by Email
*

@Log1c: Only if they tied one of each of their hands together and made them have to smear chili in the other tester's eyes.

I think I just realised why I no longer am involved in product testing.
DocGratis at 12:24 PM on 05/09/08
Reply by Email
*

@Miranda Kali: Thanks, but as a Doctor, I checked and there is no star in my heart...

Lots of blood.. and some other stuff..

OOOOOH metaphorically in my heart...

Lets see metaphorically heart equal...
lets see page 642... Spleen.. yep there it is.

Thanks Miranda..
Git Em SteveDave at 03:01 PM on 05/09/08
Reply by Email
*
Connectedness Index: 177

@DocGratis: There was an episode of NewsRadio where everyone starts taking Bill literally, I.E. they attack someone named Joe Vigilante after he said "Joe Vigilante should be dragged out of his car and beat. He tells people to listen to their hearts and someone actually rips his heart out and puts it to his ear.

OK, it's funnier in the episode.
Silver_Back at 06:14 PM on 05/10/08
Reply by Email
*

Pffft. As a brown guy who was born into a culture that eats a ton of spices I laugh at this!
Balius at 12:43 AM
Reply by Email
*

The OCD in me likes that peppers and hot-sauces can finally be put in order. One doesn't realize how much something like that weighs on the mind.