AMERICAN-GROWN PAPRIKA. 7 



rangement to the placenta?, when thoroughly dried are readily broken 

 loose from their points of attachment and often carry with them 

 small bits of placentae, thereby acquiring a pungent taste. 



In some cases it is probable that the loose seeds in rattling about 

 in the shell rub against the placentae sufficiently to get from them 

 considerable pungency. In general, all parts of this pepper, exclu- 

 sive of the placentae, are nonpungent but may acquire pungency 

 through contact with the placental structures. From what has been 

 said it is clear that the sharpness of the powdered paprika is to a 

 considerable degree dependent upon the material used in grinding. 

 In making the milder grades of Hungarian paprika the seeds and 

 placentae are largely removed before the shells are ground. The 

 pungency will vary largely in proportion to the thoroughness exer- 

 cised in removing the placentae. Pepper fruits ground whole give 

 the maximum sharpness. 



Since the pungency of the product exerts a great influence in de- 

 termining the commercial value of red peppers, it was thought nec- 

 essary to determine by some approximately accurate method the 

 pungency of the American-grown product in comparison with the 

 pungency of that of Hungarian origin. It appears to be a common 

 practice in some commercial houses to estimate this factor by means 

 of the sense of taste. 



Mr. E. W. Durkee, of New York, pointed out the fact that in order 

 to get a basis for commercial comparison sugars and other soluble 

 materials are frequently made use of in measured quantities to dilute 

 the pungent material in question. This method was adapted to the 

 present purpose in the following manner : A small weighed quantity 

 of the paprika powder was placed in a mortar with a small weighed 

 quantity of cane sugar and triturated until the powders were com- 

 pletely mixed and reduced to great fineness. If on tasting a small 

 portion of the powder the sensation of pungency was noted, further 

 weighed quantities of sugar were added until the pungency could no 

 longer be perceived. Thus a ratio was obtained between the original 

 weight of pepper used and the weight of the sugar needed to bring 

 the sensation of pungency just to the point of disappearance. A 

 slight error is introduced in removing small quantities for tasting, 

 but these amounts are so small that it is believed that the ratio ob- 

 tained is not perceptibly affected. It was found that by practice it 

 was possible to reduce tastings to a relatively small number, since 

 both speed and accuracy were developed by painstaking effort. As 

 would be expected, the personal equation entered to influence the 

 result. The work was checked up by several members of the labora- 

 tory force with an almost astonishing unanimity of result. One man, 

 a habitual smoker, was the only exception, his results showing far less 

 sensitiveness to pungency than was found in his colleagues. 



