Posted on 05/08/2008 6:10:17 AM PDT by Red Badger
Indispensable in hot kitchens: the nanotube
Oxford chemists have found a way of using carbon nanotubes to judge the heat of chilli sauces. The technology might soon be available commercially as a cheap, disposable sensor for use in the food industry.
Professor Richard Compton and his team at Oxford University have developed a sensitive technique to measure the levels of capsaicinoids, the substances that make chillies hot, in samples of chilli sauce. They report their findings in the Royal Society of Chemistry journal The Analyst.
The current industry procedure is to use a panel of taste-testers, and is highly subjective. Compton’s new method unambiguously determines the precise amount of capsaicinoids, and is not only quicker and cheaper than taste-testers but more reliable for purposes of food standards; tests could be rapidly carried out on the production line.They tested a range of chilli sauces, from the mild 'Tabasco Green Pepper' sauce to 'Mad Dog’s Revenge', which sports an extensive health warning and liability disclaimer.
The well-established Scoville method – currently the industry standard – involves diluting a sample until five trained taste testers cannot detect any heat from the chilli. The number of dilutions is called the Scoville rating; the relatively mild Jalapeño ranges from around 2,500-8,000, whereas the hottest chilli in the world, the 'Naga Jolokia', has a rating of 1,000,000. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) can also be used but this requires bulky, expensive equipment and detailed analysis of the capsaicinoids.
In Compton’s method, the capsaicinoids are adsorbed onto multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) electrodes. The team measures the current change as the capsaicinoids are oxidised by an electrochemical reaction, and this reading can be translated into Scoville units. The technique is called adsorptive stripping voltammetry (ASV), and is a relatively simple electrochemical method.
Professor Compton said: ‘ASV is a fantastic detection technique for capsaicinoids because it’s so simple - it integrates over all of the heat creating constituents because all of the capsaicinoids have essentially the same electrochemical response.’
Professor Compton has applied for a patent on the technology, and Oxford University’s technology transfer subsidiary ISIS Innovation is actively seeking backers to commercialise the technique.
Yup. And them's the same things that have been claimed for "lab-on-a-chip" technologies, with minimal success in the real world. Lots of grant money been spent to "make it happen" though--not very successfully.
Jalapeños have a nasty taste to me. I use habeneros and cayennes in my salsa.
I have 72 habenero plants in the ground now. So far I've been fortunate that the rabbits seem to be leaving them alone this year. They are fond of stripping young plants but haven't been to bad since a few more cats have moved into the neighborhood.
I eat Jalapeños straight from my garden in season. Especially good with fried chicken.........
I'll never know since I hate chicken too. Actually I don't "hate" jalapeños, I've eaten them pickled and they are not too bad.
Lets see...72 plants, each producing 30 or 40 little cherry bombs. Yeah, about 2500 peppers should cover my annual requirements.
Plus 1!
Your assessment is close to my actual figures. Last year I had 60 plants that yielded 2,280 peppers. Sounds like a lot but when dehydrated they made about 6 dry quarts of crushed flakes.
In past years I have planted a few of the red variety and found their yield to be much less than the orange ones.
I know, I’m strange - I actually kept count.
Here’s a secret that may help you win a bar bet. If you are ever challenged to eat a Habanero whole, you can beat the heat with grease. Good old Mexican manteca ( = lard — the kind tortillas are cooked in) is basically similar to Vaseline, especially if it is slightly cold. Just mop up some lard with a tortilla and tumble it around in your mouth for a minute or two prior to eating the chile. If done properly, this will allow the lard to form a capascum-proof protective layer over the mucous membranes in your mouth; you can then quickly munch the chile with no ill effects. Follow up with a dry tortilla, which will absorb and neutralize any remaining acid in your mouth, and water, to flush the acid-laden tortilla crumbs down your throat.
Of course, if you can swallow a Habenero whole, without chewing, you can win the bet without pre-larding your mouth. Expect some digestive fireworks later, though!
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