--- title: The Chemistry of Sriracha | TIME description: Science explains the chemistry that accounts for sriracha sauce's spicy appeal. canonical: https://time.com/video/Li4OYHep/ og:title: The Chemistry of Sriracha og:description: Science explains the chemistry that accounts for sriracha sauce's spicy appeal. og:url: https://time.com/video/Li4OYHep/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Li4OYHep/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Chemistry of Sriracha twitter:description: Science explains the chemistry that accounts for sriracha sauce's spicy appeal. twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Li4OYHep/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # The Chemistry of Sriracha > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: The Chemistry of Sriracha [Watch (HLS stream): The Chemistry of Sriracha](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Li4OYHep.m3u8) (3:23)  _Published 2014-02-25. Science explains the chemistry that accounts for sriracha sauce's spicy appeal._ --- Jul 27, 2023 4:15 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [The Chemistry of Matches \(In Super Slow Motion\)](/video/S6OFUFG4/) ### The Chemistry of Matches (In Super Slow Motion) [The Chemistry of Grilling](/video/SYIOYHqt/) ### The Chemistry of Grilling [Sriracha Factory Stays in Irwindale After City Drops Lawsuit](/video/L99NzUuV/) ### Sriracha Factory Stays in Irwindale After City Drops Lawsuit --- ## Transcript Sriracha chili sauce has become the must- have condiment for those millions of people out there who are willing to make a trade- off between a scorched tongue and the sauce's unique spicy, garlicky flavor. Everyone who's tried it knows that it's good on everything, and by everything, you literally mean everything. But what is it about this sauce that gives it its spicy kick? The basic ingredient of Sriracha are fresh ground red chilis, vinegar, garlic, salt, and sugar. Now, inside the red chilis is a group of molecules called capsaicinoids. Within this group, two molecules pack up the 95 percent of the blistering punch: capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin. These two molecules trigger the TRPV1 protein in our mouths, which usually responds to scalding temperatures above 109 degrees Fahrenheit, thus causing the spicy, hot sensation. Then the body responds to capsaicin's burn by releasing a pain- killing endorphin rush, kind of like the one a jogger feels after a long run. Capsaicin is naturally found in the plant genus capsicum, which is fancy science Latin for peppers: bell, aleppo, cayenne, poblano, serrano- you name it. They're all in the capsicum genus. And although these peppers are closely related, there's a big difference between the heat of each of these peppers. So how can we use science to measure which pepper is more spicy than another? In 1912, a clever pharmacist named Wilbur Scoville devised a heat measurement scale less cleverly named the Scoville scale. This scale ranges from zero Scoville heat units, all the way up to sixteen million, which is the endpoint for pure capsaicin. Basically, Scoville would extract the capsaicin out of pepper and dilute it with a solution of sugar and water until the heat was undetectable by a taste tester. Every additional dilution increases the scale. So for example, a bell pepper at zero would not be diluted at all, but a jalapeño pepper that rests on 4, 000 Scoville count would be diluted 4, 000 times. This measurement scale has been criticized due to the subjective perspective of taste testers and more modern approaches of measurement have been devised. High performance liquid chromatography is a method of accurately measuring the concentration of capsaicinoids in a pepper. This form of spice measurement doesn't use Scoville units but instead American Spice Trade Association pungency unit. One pungency unit is equal to about 1 / 15 of the Scoville unit, and there's actually a parts- per- million count of capsaicin in a particular pepper. So then, where does Sriracha fall in the Scoville scale? Depending on crop of peppers used, Sriracha can range from 1, 000 to 2, 500 Scoville units. To put into perspective, Tabasco sauce runs anywhere between 2, 500 and 5, 000 while Texas Pete hot sauce is around 750 and a habanero pepper contains upwards to 350, 000. Now, that's a lot of capsaicin. Sriracha also contains two extra compounds, potassium sorbate and sodium bisulfide, that help maintain its long shelf life and vibrant red color. Potassium sorbate inhibits growth of molds and yeast in the product and is found in other foods, such as dairy products, wine, dried fruits and meats and juices. Sodium bisulfide, on the other hand, stops the natural browning reaction that occurs when fresh produce is oxidized, giving each bottle of Sriracha that lasting, highly distinguished red color. Three ingredients that greatly add to Sriracha's flavor- salt, garlic, and vinegar- also act as a natural anti- microbial preservative that keep the bottle long- lasting even without refrigeration. ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The Chemistry of Sriracha","description":"Science explains the chemistry that accounts for sriracha sauce's spicy appeal.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Li4OYHep/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-02-25T20:44:12.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Li4OYHep.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/video/Li4OYHep/","duration":"PT3M23S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/video/Li4OYHep/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}} ```