On Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:00:46 -0500, Sqwertz >
wrote:

>On Thu, 27 Oct 2011 10:18:57 -0400, James Silverton wrote:
>
>> Today's "word of the day" in the online Oxford English Dictionary is
>> "Scoville" as in the heat measure for peppers. This was once a test done
>> by diluting capsaicin solution until a board of tasters said that its
>> heat reached the level of the pepper in question. Pure capsaicin is
>> supposed to be 15,000,000 Scoville units. I wonder how on earth they
>> measured that?
>
>The Scoville test involves diluting a small measure of the pepper
>extract with sugar water to the point where heat is barely detectable
>and undetectable by a panel of 5 tasters. The number of small units
>of water (equaling the unit of the pepper extract) required is it's
>Scoville rating.
>
>If what you quoted is what the OED says, then you need to contact them
>to get it right. Or learn how to interpret English.
>
>(alt.usage.english newsgroup fixed)
>
>-sw

OED:

a. Scoville test n. (also Scoville organoleptic test) a
subjective measurement of the pungency of a chilli pepper, based on
the detectability of pungency in a solution made from the pepper in
question.

b. Scoville unit n. (also Scoville heat unit) (originally) the
factor by which the chilli-pepper solution is diluted in the
Scoville test, used as a measure of the relative pungency of the
pepper; (hence) an equivalent number derived from an objective test,
esp. the use of gas chromatography to measure the quantity of
capsaicin in a pepper.

That seems to match your description of the Scoville test.

--
Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.usage.english)