Ngo-1912, kwasungulwa inkomba ye-Scoville Heat Units (SHU) ukuze kulinganiswe ubunongo bukapelepele. Ukuze uthole imininingwane mayelana nendlela ethile yokulinganisa, sicela ubheke ku-tweet eyandulele.
Ukuhlolwa kwe-SHU spiciness ngokunambitha komuntu kungokwemvelo futhi akunakho ukunemba. Ngenxa yalokho, ngo-1985, i-American Spice Trade Association yamukela i-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) indlela yokuthuthukisa ukunemba kokulinganisa upelepele we-chili. Iyunithi ye-spiciness, eyaziwa ngokuthi i-ppmH, isho izingxenye ngesigidi sokushisa ngesigidi ngasinye.
I-HPLC, isifinyezo se-chromatography ye-liquid esebenza kahle kakhulu, ifaka ukuhlukaniswa nokuhlaziywa kwezinhlanganisela kungxube ewuketshezi.
Ucwaningo lwembula ukuthi upelepele utholakala ezinhlotsheni eziyisikhombisa ezihlukene ze-capsaicin, kanti i-capsaicin ne-dihydrocapsaicin kuyizona eziyinhloko. Indlela ye-HPLC ikala kuphela okuqukethwe kulawa ma-capsaicinoid amabili. Ibala isamba esikaliwe sezindawo zazo, ihlukanise ngevelu yendawo ye-reagent evamile ukuze ithole inani ku-ppmH.
Isethulo esibonakalayo esihambisana naso siwumdwebo wesithombe owenziwe ithuluzi. I-eksisi evundlile imelela isikhathi sokugcinwa ku-methanol, nobude besikhathi sokuhlola bemizuzu engu-7. I-eksisi eqondile ikhombisa ukushuba okukaliwe.
Ngaphakathi komdwebo:
- 'a' ichaza indawo ephakeme yombala.
- 'b' imele indawo ephakeme kakhulu ye-capsaicin, evalwe ijika kanye nesisekelo (ekhonjiswa umugqa wamachashazi).
- 'c' isho indawo ephakeme kakhulu ye-dihydrocapsaicin, evalwe ijika kanye nesisekelo (esichazwe ngomugqa wamachashazi).
Ukuqinisekisa ukumiswa, indawo ephezulu kufanele itholwe futhi ikalwe kusetshenziswa ama-reagents ajwayelekile. Inani le-ppmH elibaliwe libe seliphindaphindwa ngo-15 ukuze kutholwe ukunambitheka kwe-SHU okuhambisanayo. Le ndlela ebanzi iqinisekisa ukuhlolwa okunembe kakhudlwana nokujwayelekile kwesinongo sikapelepele.