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VOLUME VI, NUMBER 2, SUMMER 1997
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Chile Exhibit Becoming a Reality
Marce~aTrevifio studies ornamental
chiles at the chile teaching garden
located at New Mexico State University.
The garden will be moved t o the New
Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage
Museum when it opens in 1998.
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The Chile Pepper Institute's chile exhibit at
the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage
Museum is rapidly becoming a reality. Museum Director Edson Way said the Museum
Board met on July 11and approved the plan
for a 21,000-square-foot exhibit area. The Chile
Pepper Institute has secured the needed funding and can now proceed with the chile exhibit,
said Emma Jean Cervantes, chair of CPI's board
of directors. The board plans to meet in late
August to f h a h e plans for the chile exhibit
The exhibit will take up approximately 1,000
square feet in the museum's main exhibit area.
It will include components covering chile history, farming methods, processing, and chile
products.
"This display will be a great way to educate
the public on the wonders of chile, and to promote the chile researchprograms at New
Mexico State University s College of Agriculture and Home Economics," said Paul Bosland,
CPI director.
The exhibit is made possible by financial
assistance from members of the chile industry. The McIlhenny Company (makers of
Tabasco-brand products), the New Mexico
Chile ~ommis&on,
and Martin and Lilian
Steinman have been the most generous donors to date, Bosland said. "Their contributions, along with those of Pillsbury and the
CPI board members, have enabled us to reach
our initial funding goal set a year ago for the
museum's chile display." Companies and individuals who contribute to the exhibit will be
recognized at an appropriate location in the
museum.
This display will be a great way to
educate the public on the wonders
of chile.
The chile exhibit can be viewed when the
museum holds an open house in December.
Continued on page 2.
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Chile Exhibit, continuedfrompage 1. .
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Plans are underway for the museum's grand
' '' nized agri-business. Crops and livestock also
opening May 1517,1998, Way said. This will :--will be on display throughout the museum
- ' - coincide with El D
ia de San Isidro, a day celgrounds.
-.. .- ebrating the patron saint of farmers; and the !
Museum staff will demonstrate farming and
- - = .Cuarto Centenuria, the 400th anniversary of
ranching methods, such millcing cows and
the Spanish colonization in the west.
shearing sheep, while working on the grounds.
131 addition to the chile exhibit, the museum
Other demonstrations will include harnessing
will include displays on people, land, water,
a horse, making bread, producing cheese,
weather, crops, markets, science, and innovacultivating land, and handling livestock. A grft
tions, all relating to agriculture. The middle
shop, restaurant, educational facilities, and
gallery wiJl exhibit New Mexico agriculture.
special collections of historic agricultural
When the museum opens, visitors will be
equipment also will be available.
able to see a chronological presentation of New
For additional information on the chile exMexico's agricultural history beginning with
hibit or how you can help with this vital project,
ancient pit house dwellers to today's mechacontact the Chile Pepper Institute.W
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Martha Stwart Living Gets a
Taste of New Mexico
When the staff of Martha Stewart Living
magazine needed chiles to photograph for a
coming issue, they knew just who to call. Paul
Bosland, Chile Pepper Institute director.
The staff contacted Bosland and requested a
sampling of peppers and chiles for use in a
photo layout for the article, "Peppers and
Chiles" in the July/ August 1997 issue of
Martha Stewart Living. His reaction to the request was, "We were honored and pleased
that a magazine of this stature contacted us for
information and a sampling of peppers and
chiles. It feels great to be recognized as an authority on chile in a magazine that is distributed nationally, as well as internationally." He
accommodated their request by sending a
The Chile Pepper Institute Newsletter
Cathy Montes, Managing Editor
Rena krafiaga, Graphic Designer/Bditor
Lilly Dominguez, ContributingEditor
Rinted at NMSU Agricultural Communications
The Chile Pepper Institute
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NMSU, Box 30003,MSC 34,Las C w , NM 88003
(505) 646-3028 E-mail: hotC$ile@nmsu.edu
World Wide Web sik
http://www.nmw.edu/-hoWd1ndex.W
A Non-Rofit, Inknational Organization Devoted to
the Study of Capsiauns
colorful array of peppers and chiles including NuMex Sunrise, NuMex Sunset, Orange
Bell, Habaiiero, Hungarian Wax, and others.
In the article, author Margaret Roach writes
"Today the progeny of the original pepper are
enjoyed in cuisines world wide, in cultures as
diverse as Hungary and Cambodia, Jamaica,
India, and the desert Southwest, where forms
have been claimed as each regions' own."
Bosland agrees with Roach. "This shows that
chile has transcended an esoteric crop and has
become part of mainstream America and the
world," he said.
The article makes reference to Bosland and
Dave DeWitt, editor of Fiery Foods magazine
and Bosland's collaborator on two chile
Paul W. Bosland, Diredor
Dave DeW~ti,Executive Secretary
D&
Holtermdn-Coon,Administrative Assistant
The Chile Pepper Institute
Board of Directam
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Emm Jean Cfavantes. Chair, Cervantes J3n&rises,
Inc., Vado, NM
Louis Biad, Las Cruces,NM
Paul W. Bosland, NMSU, Las CNces, NM
Dave DeWltt, Albuquerque,NM
James Ferguson, Old El Paso Foods, Anthony, lX
Gene Jefferies, McIlhenny Co., Aveq Island, LA
Martin Steinman,Border Foods, Deming, NM
Javier Vargas, NMSU,Las Cmces, NM
New Mexico State Univelsity
ex officio Directom
Dr. Jerry Schiclredanz, Dean, College of Agriculture
and Home Fkonomia
Dr.James Fisher,Chairman, Dept. of Agronomy and
Horticulture
Dr. Gary Cunningham, Director, Agriculbml
Experiment Station
The Chile Pepper Institute Newsletter
Chile has transcended
an esoteric crop and has become
part of inainstreamAmerica
. .
and the world.
books. The article also describes fresh chiles
and dried chiles and entices readers with several recipes using peppers and chiles, such as
Green Pepper and Tomatillo Salsa, Roasted
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Poblano Peppers with Qwnoa Stuffing, Ancho
Chile Sauce, West Indian Papaya Condiment,
and others.
The chiles pictured in the layout were taken
from New Mexico State University's Chile
Pepper Breedmg Program Teaching/Demonstration Garden. The garden is located in the
Fabian Garcia Research Center and is open to
the public 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through
Friday. W
NM Red Chile Feeds Growing Demand
"About a third of our state's
acreage was vlanted in skinnv.
slighfiy cu&ed cayenne pep: .
pers to feed the demand for
bottled hot sauce," said Javier
Vargas, an agent &th ~ e w
Mexico State University's Co"',.,','.:,:.:
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"We
have
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two major companies here (in
the county) that mash the cayenne, store it, age it, and send it
off to hot sauce makers."
Last year's excellent growing
conditionsboosted the state's cayenne yields-in some cases, cayenne yielded twice as much as
traditional red chile varieties.
Also fueling the demand for
Harvesters in the fields of southern New Mexico pick red chile to
red chile are color extrading
feed the growing demand for chile products.
companies. Color from red and
paprika chiles is used for everyIf some of New Mexico's red chile crop looks
thing from food coloring to lipstick.
a bit different.in1997, blame it on(or be thankAU of this good news for New Mexico growful for) the growing demand for chile products
ers comes in addition to healthy green chile
fueled by hot sauce lovers.
yields. The green chile crops have suffered in
the past due to a host of diseases. W
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To order back issues of the Chile Pepper Institute Newsktter,
contact The Chile Pepper Institute, NMSU, Box 30003,
Dept. 3Q, Las Cruces, NM 88003.
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Volume VI, Number 2, Summer 1997
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Measuring Chile Pungency: Feel the Heat
by Margaret Collins, NMSU research specialist and
Paul W, Bosland, NMSU vegetable breeder and geneticist
What most people notice when eating chile,
an approximation of heat of the particular chile
and the reason most people eat it is for the "heat,"
pod that is being tasted at that time.
"bite," or "pungency" associated with the pod.
"Pungency" is defined as a "sharp, piercing,
Scoville Organoleptfc Test
stinging, biting, or penetrating quality," or
"power to excite or stimulate." Chile connoisThe Scoville Organoleptic Test is a refined,
seurs agree with these claims.
systematic approach. In this method, human
Most chiles and foods with chile additives
subjects taste a chile sample and record the heat
are labeled as
level. The samples
"mild," "moderate,"
are diluted in the
and "hot." These des- Pungency is defined as a "sharp, piercing, laboratory until heat
ignations describe the
can no longer be destinging, biting, or
amount of pungency
tected by the tasters.
or "power to excite or stimulate.''
one may expect to
This dilution is called
encounter when eatthe Scoville Heat Unit.
ing these foods. These classifications are broad
This test is less expensive than more advanced
and may be rather subjective, depending on the
laboratory techniques, but it has limitations.
methods used to measure and rank heat.
Measuring pungency with this method is still
Pungency in chile is caused by chemical comsubjective and depends on the taster's palate and
pounds known as capsaicinoids. There are seven
sensitivity to pungency. In addition, there are seknown capsaicinoids. The major capsaicinoids,
rious limits on how many samples a taster can
capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin, occur in the
handle within a reasonable time.
highest concentrations. Nordihydrocapsaicin,
High-Performance Liquid Chromatography
norcapsaicin, homocapsaicin, nornorcapsaicin,
and homodihydro-capsaicin occur in smaller
The most accurate method for measuring chile
concentrations and are the minor capsaicinoids.
The pungency level in chile is the result of
pungency is a high-performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC). In this procedure, chile pods
two factors: the plant's genetics and the interaction of the plant with the environment. The geare dried, then ground. Next, the chemicals renetic control of pungency is not fully understood.
sponsible for the pungency are extracted, and
the extract is injected into the HPLC for analyEven without having complete knowledge of
the genetics of pungency, it is possible for plant
sis. This method is more costly than the previbreeders to produce a chile plant with a certain
ous, but it allows an objective heat analysis. Not
relative pungency. However, environmental
only does this method measure the total heat
factors such as temperature and water also inpresent, but it also allows the amounts of the
fluence the pungency. A mild chile cultivar, bred
individual capsaicinoids to be determined. In
addition, many samples may be analyzed within
for low levels of pungency and exposed to any
type of stress in the field, will become more puna short period.
As the demand for chile increases, the pungent. Alternately, a relatively hot chile cultivar
gency of the crop is more important, and an acgiven optimal environmental conditionswill become only moderately pungent.
curate and precise'measurementof the heat is
Methods used to measure pungency in chiles
necessary. Several testing laboratories perform
range from the unrefined to the scientific. A
the organoleptic and/or the HPLC methods.
common style of evaluating pungency is to simThe American Spice Trade Association (ASTA)
ply take a chile pod and taste it. This method,
publishes the procedure accepted by the spice
while being quick and cost effective, may leave
industry. Several laboratoriesthat perform such
much to the palate of the taster and only gives
tests are listed on the following page.
The Chile Pepper Institute Newsletter
A few Irbarctwies that test chile pungency
Hauser Chemical Research
5555 Awport Blvd.
Boulder, CO 80301
1-800-241-2322
Silliker Labs
2100 N. Hwy. 360,Ste. 2006
Grand Prairie, TX 75050
(409)693-2674
Warren Analytical
P.O. Box G, 650 East 0 St.
Greeley, CO 80632
1-800-945-6669
Industrial Labs
1450 E. 62Ave.
Denver, CO 80216-1242
1-800-456-5288
National Food Lab
6363 Clark Ave.
Dublin, CA 94568
(510)828-1440
Southwest Bio-labs
401 N. 17th
Las Cruces, NM 88011
(505)5248917 W
<I I \r----bSite i s Getting t I- iter
We've been adding new items to
our web site over
the past fewmonths,
including a page devoted to our new
members for the 1997
year and a page
with helpful and
interestrng links to
other web sites. Also
we've finally put a
sample of our current
newsletter online. This sample is a condensed
version of the printed newsletter.
Volume VI, Number 2, Summer 1997
"Over the past few months, we have been
trying to put more information into our web
site," said Paul Bosland, CPI diredor. 'We hope
it will help when doing research and trying to
locate hard-to-find information."
In the future, look for pages that salute companies and individuals who us3 the correct
spelling of "chile" and some information on
our biggest project right now, the chile exhibit
at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage
Museum in Las Cruces.
Find out what's news on the CPI web site at
http: / /www.nmsu.edu/-hotchile/ W
CAPS I C U M NEWS
Ancient Chiles Discovered in
Americas
According to a recent issue
of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, archaeologists have
discovered a row of domesticated chile peppers growing
in a 1,400-year-old Salvadoran
village that was preserved in
a blanket of ash from an ancient volcano eruption.
University of Colorado anthropologist Payson Sheets
reported a row of 6-foot-high
chile bushes-the oldest unearthed in the Americas-amid
clusters of corn, manioc, beans,
and agave, which speaks volumes about the state of agriculture in Central America
eight centuries before Columbus reached the New World.
Sheets said the discoveries in
Ceren, El Salvador, show that
farmers of the time used drainage ditches and staggered their
crops to guard against pests
and plant diseases.
program. "It is time for a program that reflects the singular
interests of chileheads, and creates more of the same clan,"
producers said.
Source: Chile Pepper Magazine, April 1997.
academic demands, chile research has been eliminated in
all but one U.S. university,
New Mexico State University.
Paul Bosland heads the last
university lab devoted exclusively to chile pepper research.
Along with his team of graduate assistants, Bosland is currently studying five aspects of
chile pepper breeding and genetics: breeding for disease
resistance; germplasm enhancement; molecular markers; pungency; and horticultural improvement.
According to Eric Okeefe,
"With the retirement of Paul
Smith at U.C.-Davis and Ben
Villalon, Texas A & M Extension service, Bosland may
well be the last researcher in
the nation who specializes ex;
clusively in chile pepper
breeding and genetics at the
university level." Bosland's
only hope is that "some day
chiles dbe right up there
with maize or tomato as a research plant."
Source: Hut Times Magazine,
May 1997.
New Tabasco Flavor Makes
Debut
The McIlhenny Company,
producers of TabascoB pmduds introduced the Tabasco
Habafiero Hot Pepper Sauce
to areas west of the Mississippi
this spring. The sauce contains habaiieros blended with
mango, papaya, tomarind,
banana, ginger, and ground
pepper. The new Jamaicanstyle hot sauce is available
from specialty distributors or
can be ordered from the
TabascoB Country Store at
800-634-9599.
Chile Magazine Hosts the
Hottest Show on TV
Chile Pepper Magazine recently announced its new television cooking program, Chile
Pepper TV.The program, produced in 30-minute segments,
will feature the best in hot
and spicy chefs and cuisin~.
The producers are hoping to
broadcast the program nationally.
Chile Pepper Magazine readers are asked to contact their
local television stations to
express their interest in the
U.S. Importing More Peppers from the Netherknds
U.S. Unbcntti;;
Chile Research
awmti,,g
According to Dave Swenson,
assistant markets editor of The
Packer, bell peppers accounted
for nearly 95 percent of ex.: ports from the Netherlands to
- 2 the United States in 1996. Pep-;
per imports increased from
39.2 millionpounds in 1995 to
40.8 million pounds last year.
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Due to economic cutbacks
or overshadowing by other
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The Chile Pepper ~nstihteNewsletter
Round Up Your Chile-Loving
Friends
A Quick Mouth-Watering
Mannalade
. CPI's 1997goal to recruit at
least one member from each
state is progressing well with
the addition of members from
five states. However, there is
st3.l a need to sign up members
from several others. If you
know of anyone from the following states who is passionate about Capsicum, sign them
up! We need members from
Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware,
Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire,
North Carolina, North Dakota,
Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming!
From Hank Muffett and
Conrad Kostelecky of La
Fonda Chiles restaurant in
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico,
comes this quickie marmalade
recipe:
branch of this
industry? CPI's membership
includes members from 13
countries, a green chile canner, and a hot sauce company.
How about signing up a chile
powder manufacturer?With
your assistance, we can pro- mote CPI on a national and international level.
Chile Cult Seeks Members
Just mix it all up. Hank and
Conrad suggest serving it on
crackers, over cream cheese,
or on chicken.
Want to share your favorite
chile recipe? Send it to Danise
at the Chile Pepper Institute.
Looking for a chile cult to
belong to? Well look no more.
There is a chile cult called
the TranscendentalCapsaicinophilic Society and it's de. voted to "the worship of all
chiles, life-long dedication to
chile consumption, and making fun of people who just
can't take that spicy food.''
You can find this cult on the
World Wide Web at htttp:/ /
www.io.com/-ml0l /tcs/.
1997 Directory Available
.
The 1997Chile Pepper Institute Directory will be sent to
. all members with this issue of
the newsletter. The directory
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-Volume VI, Number 2, Summer 1997 >2
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I pint orange or pineapple
marmalade
1tablespoon finely
chopped garlic
1tablespoon finely
chopped chiles of your
choice (they use col de
rata)
1/4 teaspoon five-spice
powder
ChilC-Flamed Bagels Gaining Popularity
Bagel lovers are in for a new
treat-chile flavored bagels!
Although onion and garlic bagels lead in bagel sales, the
pepper-flavored variety is increasing in popularity. Look
for pepper-flavored bagels at
your favorite bagel shop.-
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9,;.
lists the names and addresses
of all institute members, as
well as the board of directors
and the advisory board. Keep
your eyes open for it, and if
you don't receive a copy, call
Danise Holterman-Coon at
(505) 646-3028.
New Jalape?ioCultivars to
be Released this Year
NuMex Primavera and
NuMex Piiiata are two new
jalapefio cultivars developed
by CPI director Paul Bosland
and his team of graduate assistants at New Mexico State
University.
Each has its own distind
properties. "NuFuiex Primavera
is a very mild jalapeiio that
has a rating of 8,000 Scoville
units, about one-fifth the heat
of a normal jalapeiio. The
NuMex Piiiata is a multicolored jalapeiio. The fruit
changes from bright green to
bright yellow, then to orange
and finally bright red. It could
become a favorite for home
gardeners that want colorful
salsas. Bosland said the cultivars will be released this year
and should be available for
the 1998 growing season
NuMex Primavera jalapefios.
Mark Your "Chile Calendar"
,
Mark your "chile calendars" for the following fiery events.
August
30-31: Hatch Chile Festival. Hatch, New
Mexico. (505) 267-3226
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October
3-5:
The Whole Enchilada Fiesta. Las
Cruces, New Mexico. (505) 647-1228,
The Chile Pepper Institute
NMSU, Box 30003, MSC 3Q
Las Cruces, NM 88003
(505) 646-3028
A Non-Profit, International Organization Devoted to the Study of Capsicums
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September
-6:
Chile Pepper Food Festival. Bowers,
Pennsylvania. (610) 944-8417
6-7:
Powell Gardens Chili Pepper Fiesta.
Kingsville, Missouri. (816) 697-2600
20-21: Third Annual Chile & Frijole Festival.
Pueblo, Colorado. (719) 542-1704
21:
Chile Pqper magazine's Chile Pepperama. Dallas, Texas. (800) 375-3463
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