Jalapenos are medium-sized chilli peppers. They are a member of the capsicum family and provides a reasonable amount of spice, with around 2,500 to 8,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). The brown and white lines on jalapenos is known as corking, in which the more lines indicate a more mature pepper, suggesting they are likely to be more pungent.
The name jalapeno comes from the city Xalapa in Mexico where they were first cultivated. Jalapenos are commonly picked when they are still green, but with full ripening, they turn red, orange and yellow developing a slightly sweeter flavour. They grow best in sandy, loam soil, which consists of equal parts of sand, silt and clay. A mature jalapeno pepper plant is expected to produce around 30 to 40 jalapeno pepper pods.
Owing to a greater interest in ethnic cuisine, the growth of Mexican and spicy flavours has seen jalapeno rise in popularity. Today, the ingredient can be found in everything from beverages, crisps, cheeses and even chocolate, meeting the needs of today’s more adventurous consumers. The ingredient pairs well with lime, mango, tomatoes and honey, as well as more unusual ingredients such as strawberries.
The ingredient can often be found in dressings and sauces due to their high acidity and spice levels. It is likely that jalapenos will continue to be popular in a wide array of applications, most notably sauces. This is as consumers travel further afield and desire more ethnic ingredients in the products they buy.
Supporting Your Formulations
Our Jalapeno Treattarome® is 100 percent natural from the named food and it contains no added preservatives or antioxidants. It is wholly distilled from fresh jalapeno peppers (capsicum annuum) and provides a fresh bell pepper characteristic to many food and beverage applications. It adds a delicious zest to salsas and alcoholic beverages, whilst providing an authentic green pepper aroma. Our Treattaromes are also free from calories, sugar and colouring, making them ideal in clean label formulations.
To find out more about how we can support your formulation development with our extensive list of ingredients and expertise, please email enquiries@treatt.com.