Pepper X Named World's Hottest Chili by Guinness World Records

The Guinness World Records has officially declared "Pepper X" as the world's hottest chili pepper.

The title was held for a decade by the Carolina Reaper chili pepper, which was dethroned Monday when Pepper X's record-breaking status was announced.

Pepper spiciness is measured using the Scoville scale. The scale was developed by pharmacist Wilbur Scoville in 1912 and gauges the level of capsaicin, the key element of spiciness, in a chili pepper. Capsaicin "causes a burning sensation when it makes contact with human tissue," according to Guinness World Records.

Laboratory tests performed at Winthrop University in South Carolina in August found that Pepper X ranks at 2.69m Scoville heat units, surpassing the Carolina Reaper chili pepper by over 1m units, as measured by the Scoville scale, the Guardian reported.

Ed Currie, the creator of both Pepper X and the Carolina Reaper, attributes Pepper X's new status to the collective efforts of his team.

"When we bred this pepper out, first thing we looked for is something to raise that heat level to what we thought was going to be the maximum, and the second thing was flavor," Currie revealed on the popular YouTube show "Hot Ones," whose creator and host Sean Evans tries chicken wings of varying heat levels with celebrity guests.

Pepper X will be available for consumers to experience through an exclusive commercial hot sauce.

Based on his past experiences, Currie said he would keep Pepper X's pods and seeds private to protect his intellectual property.

"People have been trying to steal [the Carolina Reaper pepper] for the last 10 years," Currie said. "There are also some high corporations who want to take what’s not theirs, and they’re willing to pay other people to do it.

"We have to protect ourselves. This is our pepper and we are going to take the world out with it," he added.

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