🔬 Scientist Tests The One Chip Challenge - The Real Scoville Result

We Put the One Chip Challenge to a Scientific Test: The Truth About Its Scoville Rating

You’ve seen the videos, heard the hype, and maybe even felt the burn yourself. The Paqui One Chip Challenge, notorious for its use of the Carolina Reaper, is famously associated with a scorching 2.2 million Scoville Heat Units (SHU). But is that the actual heat level of the chip you eat?

We decided to find out. Using professional-grade food science technology, we measured the true Scoville rating of the One Chip Challenge. The results might surprise you.

The Experiment: From Chip to Data

The Tool: Food Sense Generation 4

For this experiment, we moved beyond guesswork and used the Food Sense Generation 4 analyzer. This device connects via Bluetooth to a smartphone app and measures capsaicin concentration—the chemical responsible for a chili's heat—to deliver a precise Scoville rating.

Sample Preparation: The Key to Accuracy

To get a true reading, careful preparation is everything. Here was our process:

1. Weigh: We took a small corner of the chip (0.1 grams). It's worth noting the chip is heterogeneous, meaning the pepper coating isn't perfectly even.

2. First Dilution: We dissolved the 0.1g chip sample into 0.9 mL of a special chili buffer, creating a 1:10 dilution.

3. Second Dilution: The initial solution was still too intense for the sensor. We took 0.1 mL of the first solution and added it to 0.9 mL of fresh buffer, creating a final 1:100 dilution.

This two-step dilution was necessary to get a reading the sensor could accurately analyze without being overwhelmed.

The Big Reveal: The Scientific Scoville Rating

With the sample prepared and the Food Sense Gen 4 calibrated, we ran the test. The device streamed data in real-time to the app, which then sent it to a cloud-based analysis system.

The official Scoville Heat Unit result for the Paqui One Chip Challenge was 56,000 SHU.

Why It's Not 2.2 Million SHU: The Science Explained

This result makes perfect scientific sense. The Carolina Reaper pepper powder used on the chip indeed has a rating of around 2.2 million SHU. However, the chip itself is mostly a tortilla chip—a carrier for that powder.

The 56,000 SHU reading represents the average concentration of capsaicin in the final product you consume. If you do the math, 56,000 is roughly 2.5% of 2.2 million, which logically represents the small percentage of the chip's total mass that is actually the super-hot pepper powder.

In short: you're not eating a pure Carolina Reaper. You're eating a chip coated in one.

The Data Doesn't Lie: The Capsaicin Fingerprint

Every measurement with the Food Sense Gen 4 is backed by raw data. The system produced a clear "fingerprint" of the capsaicinoids present in the sample, visible as distinct peaks on a graph. This objective data confirms that the 56,000 SHU rating isn't an estimate—it's a measured scientific fact.

The Verdict: The One Chip Challenge is extremely hot, but its published Scoville rating refers to the pepper ingredient, not the edible product as a whole.

The Taste Test: A Subjective Verification

Of course, 56,000 SHU is still intensely hot—comparable to a very hot serrano or a low-end habanero pepper. To subjectively verify the findings, we took the challenge.

The result? An immediate, intense, and building heat that confirms the reading. It's a serious challenge for anyone who isn't a dedicated "chili head," proving that even at its diluted concentration, the Carolina Reaper's power is undeniable.

Conclusion

The Paqui One Chip Challenge is a marketing success and a painful rite of passage for spice enthusiasts. However, from a scientific standpoint, its actual Scoville rating as a consumable product is 56,000 SHU.

This experiment highlights the difference between the heat of an ingredient and the heat of a final food product. Thanks to modern food science technology, we can now move beyond marketing claims and online speculation to discover the delicious—and fiery—truth.