Jalapeño

There are a wide variety of breeds for consumer and commercial use of jalapeño plants. The majority fall under one of four categories: F1 hybrids, where the parent plants have been hand-emasculated and cross-bred to produce uniform offspring with hybrid vigor; cultivars which are F-11 or F-12 hybrids or later generations where a stable unique population has been developed; landraces; and F2 hybrids.[17]

F1 hybrids produce the highest and most uniform yields but cost 25 times the cost of open-pollinated seed, leading to only 2% of the farmland dedicated to jalapeño cultivation in the United States being planted with F1 hybrids.[17] F2 hybrids often produce similarly to F1 hybrids; however, some F1 hybrids are produced via recessive male sterility to eliminate the need to hand-pollinate, reducing the cost to produce the hybrid, but producing a 25% reduction in yield in the F2 generation.[17] Some notable F1 hybrids are 'Mitla', 'Perfecto', 'Tula', 'Grande' (a hot jalapeño), 'Sayula', 'Senorita', and 'Torreon', most of them being developed and marketed by Petoseed, a brand of Seminis.[17][28]

Cultivars are researched and created to promote desirable traits. Common traits selected for are resistance to viruses and other pepper-related diseases, milder peppers, early ripening, more attractive fruit in terms of size, wall thickness, and corking, and higher yields.[29] The land-grant universities and the Chile Pepper Institute promote the use of cultivars as the most sustainable and environmentally safe disease control method both in terms of economics and long-term environmental perspective.[30] Notable cultivars include 'Early Jalapeño', 'TAM Mild Jalapeño',[29] 'TAM Mild Jalapeño II',[29] 'TAM Veracruz', the yellow 'TAM Jaloro',[31] 'NuMex Vaquero',[30] the colorful 'NuMex Piñata',[32] 'TAM Dulcito',[33] 'Waialua',[34] and 'NuMex Primavera'.[35]

Sweet hybridized varieties have been created with no "heat", although they retain the look and flavor of a jalapeño.[36]

A raw jalapeño is 92% water, 6% carbohydrates, 1% protein, and contains negligible fat (table). A 100-gram (3+1⁄2 oz) reference serving of raw jalapeños provides 120 kilojoules (29 kcal) of food energy, and is a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) of vitamin C, vitamin B6, and vitamin E, with vitamin K in a moderate amount (table). Other micronutrients are low in content (table).

Compared with other chillies, the jalapeño heat level varies from mild to hot depending on cultivation and preparation and can have from a few thousand to over 10,000 Scoville heat units.[5] The number of scars on the pepper, which appear as small brown lines, called 'corking', has a positive correlation with heat level, as growing conditions which increase heat level also cause the pepper to form scars.[37] For US consumer markets, 'corking' is considered unattractive; however, in other markets, it is a favored trait, particularly in pickled or oil-preserved jalapeños.[26]

The heat level of jalapeños varies even for fruit from the same plant;[5] however, some cultivars have been bred to be generally milder, and on the low side of the heat range, such as the 'TAM Milds'[29] and 'Dulcito', and others to be generally hotter, and on the high end of the heat range, such as 'Grande'. As the peppers ripen their pungency increases, making red jalapeños to be generally hotter than green jalapeños, at least of the same variety. If the jalapeño plants were stressed by increased water salinity, erratic watering, temperature, light, soil nutrition, insects, or illness, this will increase their pungency.[38][39]

All of the capsaicin and related compounds are concentrated in vesicles found in the placenta membrane surrounding the seeds; the vesicles appear white or yellow and fluoresce in the range of 530 to 600 nm when placed in violet light.[40][37] If fresh chili peppers come in contact with the skin, eyes, lips or other membranes, irritation can occur; some people who are particularly sensitive wear latex or vinyl gloves while handling peppers. If irritation does occur, washing the oils off with hot soapy water and applying vegetable oil to the skin may help.[41][42] When preparing jalapeños, it is recommended that hands not come in contact with the eyes as this leads to burning and redness.[43][44][45]

Jalapeño peppers wrapped in crescent rolls

• Stuffed jalapeños are hollowed-out fresh jalapeños (served cooked or raw) filled with seafood, meat, poultry, or cheese.
• Pickled jalapeños, a type of pickled pepper, sliced or whole, are often served hot or cold on top of nachos, which are tortilla chips with melted cheese on top, a Tex-Mex dish.
• Chipotles are smoked ripe jalapeños.
• Jalapeño jelly, which is a pepper jelly, can be prepared using jelling methods.
• Jalapeño peppers are often muddled and served in mixed drinks.
• Jalapeño poppers are an appetizer; jalapeños are stuffed with cheese, usually cheddar or cream cheese, breaded or wrapped in bacon, and cooked.
• Armadillo eggs are jalapeños or similar chilis stuffed with cheese, coated in seasoned sausage meat and wrapped in bacon. The "eggs" are then grilled until the bacon starts to crisp.
• Chiles toreados are fresh jalapeños that are sauteed in oil until the skin is blistered all over. They are sometimes served with melted cheese on top.
• Texas toothpicks are jalapeños and onions shaved into straws, lightly breaded, and deep-fried.
• Chopped jalapeños are a common ingredient in many salsas and chilis.
• Jalapeño slices are commonly served in Vietnamese pho and bánh mì, and are also a common sandwich and pizza topping in the West.

Jalapeños are a low-acid food with a pH of 4.8–6.0 depending on maturity and individual pepper. If canned or pickled jalapeños appear gassy, mushy, moldy, or have a disagreeable odor, then to avoid botulism, special precautions are needed to avoid illness and spread of the bacteria.[46] Canning or packaging in calcium chloride increases the firmness of the peppers and the calcium content, whether or not the peppers are pickled as well as canned.[47][48]

In 2008, fresh jalapeños from Mexico were tested positive for Salmonella leading the FDA to believe that the peppers were responsible for much of the 2008 United States salmonellosis outbreak. This large outbreak of Salmonella led to increased research into the detection of pathogens on jalapeños, the frequency and behavior of foodborne illness related to jalapeños, and ways to prevent foodborne illnesses from fresh jalapeños.[49][50] Contaminated irrigation water and processing water are the two most common methods by which jalapeños become contaminated, as was the case in the 2008 outbreak.[51] Jalapeños have similar microbial properties to tomatoes. The outer layer of their skin provides a safe environment for pathogens to survive, and if damaged or chopped provides a growth medium for these pathogens.[49][52] Washing fresh jalapeños is important to reduce pathogen counts both at the farm and consumer level, but without cold storage it is insufficient to prevent pathogen spread.[50][52]