Chili grenade

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A chili grenade is a type of non-lethal weapon developed by Indian military scientists at the Defence Research and Development Organisation for use by the Indian Armed Forces. [1] [2] The weapon is similar to tear gas. [3] In 2016, civilian variants were being used for crowd control in Jammu and Kashmir. [4]

The smoke grenades use one of the world's spiciest chili pepper, bhut jolokia, species in weaponised form. [5] The weapon emits a powerful skin and eye irritant as well as pungent smell that causes the afflicted to leave their cover or become physically incapacitated by the grenade's load. The pepper being used is the thumb-sized bhut jolokia (or ghost chili) which had previously been recognised by Guinness World Records as the hottest pepper in the world, but was later superseded by two other pepper cultivars, the Carolina Reaper and the Trinidad moruga scorpion. [6] [7] One bhut jolokia is more than 1,000,000 Scoville units. [8]

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Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scoville scale</span> Scale for measuring spiciness of peppers

The Scoville scale is a measurement of pungency of chili peppers and other substances, recorded in Scoville heat units (SHU). It is based on the concentration of capsaicinoids, among which capsaicin is the predominant component.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chili pepper</span> Varieties of peppers of Capsicum genus

Chili peppers, also spelled chile or chilli, are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. Chili peppers are widely used in many cuisines as a spice to add "heat" to dishes. Capsaicin and the related capsaicinoids give chili peppers their intensity when ingested or applied topically. Chili peppers exhibit a range of heat and flavors. This diversity is the reason behind the availability of different types of chili powder, each offering its own taste and heat level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hot sauce</span> Condiment made from chili peppers

Hot sauce is a type of condiment, seasoning, or salsa made from chili peppers and other ingredients. Many commercial varieties of mass-produced hot sauce exist.

<i>Capsicum chinense</i> Species of flowering plant

Capsicum chinense, commonly known as a "habanero-type pepper", is a species of chili pepper native to the Americas. C. chinense varieties are well known for their unique flavors and, in many cases, exceptional heat. The hottest peppers in the world are members of this species, with a Scoville Heat Unit score of 2.69 million measured in the C. chinense cultivar, Pepper X in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Savina pepper</span> Chili pepper

The Red Savina pepper is a cultivar of the habanero chili, which has been selectively bred to produce spicier, heavier, and larger fruit, ultimately more potent than its derivative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naga Morich</span> Chinese variety of chili pepper

The Naga Morich is a chili pepper originally grown primarily in Bangladesh and Northeast India. It is also one of the hottest known chilli peppers and measures 800,000 SHU on Scoville scale. Morich is the word for chilli pepper in Bengali, with similar words in Assamese:, Nepali, Hindi and the languages of Nagaland and Manipur. "Naga Mircha" is registered under the Geographical Indications (GI) of Nagaland by Government of India.

Anandita Dutta Tamuly, maiden name Anandita Dutta, is an Assamese woman from Titabor Town in Jorhat district of Assam. She is married to Pankaj Tamuly and is mother of a son. She is known for eating and rubbing Bhut Jolokia peppers on her bare eyes. The chilli, native to Assam, is the world's second-hottest chilli pepper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naga Viper pepper</span> Hot chili pepper

The Naga Viper pepper is a hot chili pepper. In 2011, it was recorded as the "World's Hottest Chili" by the Guinness World Records with a rating of 1,382,118 Scoville heat units (SHU), but was surpassed in SHU by the Carolina Reaper, in 2017, and again by the latest world record holder Pepper X in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Infinity chili</span> Chili pepper known for extreme heat

The Infinity Chili pepper is a chili pepper hybrid of the Capsicum chinense species created in England by chili breeder Nicholas Woods of Fire Foods, Grantham, Lincolnshire. For two weeks in February 2011, the Infinity Chili held the Guinness World Record title for the world's hottest chili with a Scoville scale rating of 1,067,286 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). On March 1, 2011, it was displaced by the Trinidad Scorpion Butch T pepper, which registered 1,463,700 SHU.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinidad Scorpion Butch T pepper</span> Chili pepper

The Trinidad Scorpion Butch T is a Capsicum chinense cultivar that is among the hottest peppers in the world. It is a hybrid pepper and thus not indigenous to anywhere; however, its hybrid parentage is derived from the Trinidad Moruga scorpion indigenous to Trinidad and Tobago. It was named by Neil Smith from The Hippy Seed Company, after he got the seeds originally from Butch Taylor who is responsible for propagating the pepper's seeds. The "scorpion" peppers are referred to as such because the pointed end of the pepper is said to resemble a scorpion's stinger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinidad Moruga scorpion</span> Exceptionally hot chili pepper

The Trinidad Moruga scorpion is a chili pepper native to the village of Moruga, Trinidad and Tobago. In 2012, New Mexico State University's Chile Pepper Institute identified the Trinidad Moruga scorpion as the hottest chili pepper at that time, with heat of 1.2 million Scoville heat units (SHUs).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carolina Reaper</span> Exceptionally hot cultivar of C. chinense pepper plant

The Carolina Reaper chili pepper is a cultivar of the Capsicum chinense plant. Developed by American breeder Ed Currie, the pepper is red and gnarled, with a bumpy texture and small pointed tail. It was the hottest chili pepper in the world according to Guinness World Records from 2013 to 2023 before it was surpassed by Pepper X, which was also developed by Currie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghost pepper</span> Chili pepper cultivated in Northeast India

The ghost pepper, also known as bhüt jolokia, is an interspecific hybrid chili pepper cultivated in Northeast India. It is a hybrid of Capsicum chinense and Capsicum frutescens.

<i>Capsicum</i> Genus of flowering plants

Capsicum is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae, native to the Americas, cultivated worldwide for their edible fruit, which are generally known as "peppers" or "capsicum". Sweet or bell peppers and some chili peppers belong to the Capsicum annuum species, making it the most cultivated species from the genus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dragon's Breath (chili pepper)</span> Chili pepper

Dragon's Breath is a chili pepper cultivar that unofficially tested at 2.48 million Scoville units.

Pepper X is a cultivar of Capsicum chili pepper bred by the American chili breeder Ed Currie, the creator of the Carolina Reaper. In 2023, Guinness World Records recognized it as the world's hottest chili pepper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crowd control in Jammu and Kashmir</span> Methods employed by Indian forces to manage riots and protests in Kashmir

Crowd control in Jammu and Kashmir is a public security practice to prevent and manage violent riots. It is enforced by police forces through laws preventing unlawful assembly, as well as using riot control agents such as tear gas, chili grenades, and pellet guns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hottest chili pepper</span> Informal pepper competition

Amongst growers in the US, the UK, and Australia, there has been a competition since the 1990s to grow the hottest chili pepper. Chili pepper species and cultivars registering over 1,000,000 Scoville Heat units (SHU) are called "super-hots". Past Guinness World Record holders include the ghost pepper, Infinity chili, Trinidad Moruga scorpion, Naga Viper pepper, Trinidad Scorpion Butch T, and Carolina Reaper. The current record holder, declared in 2023, is Pepper X, at more than 2.69 million SHU.

Ed Currie is an American chili pepper breeder who is the founder and president of the PuckerButt Pepper Company. He is best known for breeding the Carolina Reaper which was the hottest chili pepper in the world until, in 2023, Pepper X, also bred by Currie, took over as the hottest chili pepper, as recognized by Guinness World Records.

References

  1. ↑ "Indian military to weaponize world's hottest chili - Yahoo! News". 2010-03-23. Archived from the original on 2010-03-24. Retrieved 2011-11-04.
  2. ↑ Singh, Rahul (15 August 2016). "Army backs pepper shots, chilli grenades over pellet guns in Kashmir". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 30 June 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-31.
  3. ↑ Hussain, Wasbir (23 March 2010). "India's Military Weaponizes World's Hottest Chili". Discovery News. Archived from the original on 25 March 2010.
  4. ↑ "Chilli-filled grenades to replace pellet guns in J&K". The Hindu. 4 September 2016. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2018-12-31.
  5. ↑ "Now, 'Chilli smoke' grenades to dig out terrorists". Hindustan Times. Press Trust of India. 21 December 2008. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  6. ↑ "India plans hot chilli grenades". BBC. 25 June 2009. Archived from the original on 17 November 2018.
  7. ↑ "Hottest chilli pepper". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 2018-12-31.
  8. ↑ Bhaumik, Subir (24 March 2010). "India scientists hail 'multi-purpose' chillis". BBC. Archived from the original on 7 November 2016. Retrieved 2018-12-31.


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