The Organoleptic Test of 1912
In 1912, American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville created the Scoville Organoleptic Test while working at Parke-Davis pharmaceutical company. The test involved dissolving alcohol-extracted pepper oils into sweetened water solutions, which were then sampled by a panel of five trained human tasters until heat was no longer perceptible.
Modern High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)
Because human sensory panels suffer from palate fatigue and subjective variance, modern labs utilize High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). HPLC measures the exact concentration of capsaicinoids (capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin, and nordihydrocapsaicin) in parts per million (ppm), which is then mathematically converted into traditional Scoville Heat Units (1 ppm capsaicin = 16 SHU).