Editing Scoville scale (section)

===Considerations===
Since Scoville ratings are defined per unit of dry mass, comparison of ratings between products having different water content can be misleading.  For example, typical fresh chili peppers have a water content around 90%, whereas [[Tabasco sauce]] has a water content of 95%.<ref>USDA nutrient database for [https://web.archive.org/web/20140517121309/http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3569?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=pepper Peppers, jalapeño, raw] (92% water content); [https://web.archive.org/web/20140517121119/http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3419?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=pepper Peppers, hot chile, red, raw] (88% water content); [https://web.archive.org/web/20140517120516/http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/1214?qlookup=tabasco&fg=&format=&man=&lfacet=&max=25&new=1 Red Tabasco sauce] (95%)</ref> For law-enforcement-grade [[pepper spray]], values from 500,000 up to 5 million SHU have been reported,<ref name="five38"/><ref name="theppsc">{{cite web | url = http://www.theppsc.org/Staff_Views/Czarnecki/chemical_hazards_in_law_enforcement.htm | title= Chemical hazards in law enforcement | publisher= The Police Policy Studies Council | access-date = 2009-02-09 | quote = Most law enforcement sprays have a pungency of 500,000 to 2 million SHU. One brand has sprays with 5.3 million SHU.}}</ref> but the actual strength of the spray depends on the dilution.<ref name=twi/> This problem can be overcome by stating the water content along with the Scoville value. One way to do so is the "D-value", defined as total mass divided by dry mass.<ref>{{cite web |title=Let's Get Technical: The Limitations of the Scoville Scale |url=https://www.joshjungle.com/2017/04/22/2017-4-22-lets-get-technical-the-limitations-of-the-scoville-scale/ |website=Josh's Jungle |date=22 April 2017}}</ref>

Numerical results for any specimen vary depending on its cultivation conditions and the uncertainty of the laboratory methods used to assess the capsaicinoid content.<ref name="guzman" /> Pungency values for any pepper are variable, owing to expected variation within a species, possibly by a factor of 10 or more, depending on [[Lineage (evolution)#Phylogenetic representation of lineages|seed lineage]], climate and [[humidity]], and soil composition supplying nutrients. The inaccuracies described in the measurement methods also contribute to the imprecision of these values.<ref name="guzman" /><ref name="tainter"/>