The Guinness World Records has now recognized Pepper X as the world's spiciest chili pepper, surpassing the Carolina Reaper's decade-long reign.
To put it in perspective, while a habanero pepper usually measures around 100,000 Scoville heat units, Pepper X boasts an impressive 2.69 million units.
Pepper X dethrones Carolina Reaper as world’s hottest chilli pepper ????️ https://t.co/2B8gByrAnx
— Guinness World Records (@GWR) October 16, 2023
Both these record-setting peppers are the brainchild of breeder and farmer Ed Currie.
However, Pepper X seeds and pods will remain exclusive as they won't be up for sale.
Mr. Currie spent ten years nurturing Pepper X on his farm in South Carolina, keeping details of his endeavor under wraps to safeguard his intellectual rights.
"This was a team effort," the appropriately named Mr Currie said in a statement. "We knew we had something special, so I only let a few of my closest family and friends know what was really going on."
During laboratory tests at Winthrop University in South Carolina, Pepper X achieved an astounding average of 2,693,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). This heat level surpasses the Carolina Reaper, Mr. Currie's earlier creation, which averaged 1,641,183 SHU.
The Scoville Scale, a measure of a pepper's spiciness, was devised in 1912 by pharmacist Wilbur Scoville. It evaluates the dilution required for capsaicin – the chemical responsible for the fiery sensation in peppers that can trigger a release of dopamine and endorphins in humans.
Having battled and conquered drug and alcohol dependencies, Mr. Currie took up pepper cultivation as a pastime, noting its natural euphoric effects.
Contrary to popular belief, the heat in peppers doesn't primarily emanate from their seeds. Instead, it's the placenta, the tissue housing the seeds, that contains the capsaicin. The unique shape of Pepper X, with its curves and ridges, provides an expanded surface area for the placenta, thereby enhancing its spiciness, as noted by the Guinness World Records.
Remarkably, Mr. Currie is among an exclusive group of just five individuals who have consumed an entire Pepper X.
"I was feeling the heat for three and a half hours. Then the cramps came," Mr Currie said to the Associated Press.
"Those cramps are horrible. I was laid out flat on a marble wall for approximately an hour in the rain, groaning in pain."
To safeguard his intellectual property and ensure profitability, Pepper X pods and seeds will remain exclusive and not be available for purchase. The sole avenue to experience the heat of Pepper X will be through select hot sauces available for sale.
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