Developed the Scoville scale, a method to measure the heat level of peppers, and pioneered the field of capsaicin research. His work has had a lasting impact on the culinary world.
Wilbur Scoville, an American pharmacist, is best known for his creation of the Scoville Organoleptic Test, which measures the pungency or capsaicin concentration of various chili peppers. This test, now standardized as the Scoville scale, has become the globally accepted method for measuring the heat of peppers.
Wilbur Lincoln Scoville was born on January 22, 1865, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He married Cora B. Upham on September 1, 1891, in Wollaston Quincy, Massachusetts, and had two daughters, Amy Augusta and Ruth Upham.
Scoville wrote The Art of Compounding, a pharmacological reference book that was first published in 1895 and went through at least eight editions. The book made one of the earliest mentions of milk as an antidote for pepper heat. He also wrote Extracts and Perfumes, which contained hundreds of formulations. For a time, he was a professor at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
In 1912, while working at the Parke-Davis pharmaceutical company, Scoville devised the Scoville Organoleptic Test. This test used human testers to measure the pungency or spiciness of various chili peppers. The test is based on the amount of capsaicin present in a pepper, with higher numbers indicating greater heat. The Scoville scale has become the standard for measuring the heat of peppers, with peppers ranging from 0 SHU (Scoville Heat Units) for a sweet pepper to over 2 million SHU for some of the hottest peppers in the world.
Scoville won the Ebert prize from the American Pharmaceutical Association in 1922 for his work on the Scoville Organoleptic Test. In 1929, he received the Remington Honor Medal, the APhA's top award. He also received an honorary Doctor of Science from Columbia University in 1929.
Wilbur Scoville's work on the Scoville scale has had a lasting impact on the world of spicy food. His test has enabled food manufacturers to accurately label the heat of their products, and it has paved the way for the development of new and increasingly spicy foods. On January 22, 2016, Google celebrated Scoville's 151st birthday with a Google Doodle.
Scoville died on March 10, 1942, at the age of 77 in Gainesville, Florida. The cause of his death is unknown.
Born in 1822
Developed vaccines for rabies and anthrax, and pioneered the germ theory of disease, revolutionizing our understanding of microbiology and disease prevention.
Born in 1743
Father of modern chemistry, discovered oxygen, and developed a systematic method of chemical nomenclature. He laid the foundation for modern chemistry and paved the way for future scientific discoveries.
Born in 1778
Pioneering chemist and physicist who discovered several elements, including potassium and sodium, and invented the Davy lamp, a safety lamp for miners. His groundbreaking work laid the foundation for modern chemistry and electrochemistry.
Born in 1803
Developed groundbreaking theories on organic chemistry and agriculture, revolutionizing farming practices and earning the title "Father of Fertilizers".
Born in 1800
German chemist and academic who synthesized urea, debunking the theory of vitalism, and made significant contributions to organic chemistry. He is considered one of the founders of modern organic chemistry.
Born in 1868
Developed a process to synthesize ammonia, revolutionizing agriculture and warfare, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1918.
