Some "extremely spicy" potato chips reportedly sent 14 Japanese school students to hospital last week.
They were sharing them during a break when some started experiencing nausea and severe pain around their mouths, according to media reports.
One student reportedly felt so ill he had to be transported to hospital in a wheelchair.
The manufacturer of the 'R 18+ Curry Chips' says that they're so hot — due to a hefty dose of an Indian chilli called Bhoot Jolokia, or ghost pepper — that minors shouldn't eat them.
What's the world's spiciest chilli?
The heat or spiciness in chillies or peppers is measured on the Scoville Scale, named after American pharmacologist Wilbur Scoville.
The scale's heat rating — quantified in Scoville heat units (SHU) — is based on the quantity of chemical compounds called capsaicinoids.
Being familiar with where certain chillies sit on the scale can be useful for food producers, spice-inclined foodies, or anyone planning to enter a chilli-eating contest.
Source: SBS News
The Guinness World Record for the hottest chilli is currently held by Pepper X, which has been recorded as hitting 3.2 million SHUs.
Pepper X is a hybrid chilli developed over 10 years by an American named Ed Currie, who also developed the Carolina Reaper — which held the world record before Pepper X.
For context, the humble capsicum or bell pepper is 0 SHU, a jalapeno comes in at 2500-8000 SHU and the hot Thai chilli stands at 50,000-100,000 SHU.
What causes the sensation of spicy food?
When you eat foods that contain capsaicinoids, the chemical compounds attach to sensory receptors in the mouth, which send electrochemical signals to the brain.
These signals "trigger a false alarm that your mouth is on fire," the National Institute of Standards and Technology website states.
"It's a bodily response that can produce sweating and watery eyes but does not cause physical harm."
