Geneticist develops milder peppers

Published: Tuesday, October 12, 1999

LAS CRUCES, N.M. {AP} A New Mexico State University geneticist has developed a not-hot jalapeno and a mild green chili with the hope that people who don't eat the hot peppers now will soon get hooked.

Paul Bosland's new peppers taste just like real chili but are mild enough for the most sensitive taste buds. He says the peppers 10 years in the making are mild enough to open up a new market for New Mexico chili farmers.

"You know what is the most popular pepper in the United States? It's the bell pepper," Bosland says. "Now maybe we can offer a jalapeno that's not any hotter than a bell pepper but still tastes like a jalapeno."

Bosland, the chief chili breeder and geneticist at New Mexico State University, developed the not-hot peppers for New Mexico farmers who figured they could create a larger market if some of their chili was not so hot.

"Food companies that make salsa use a lot of tomatoes and bell peppers, and it changes the flavor," he said. "Now they can use the new jalapenos and it will taste like chili, except without the pungency."

The chili breeder's companion creation the not-hot green chili is a boon to paprika makers, who use the peppers after they turn red as a coloring agent.

The northeastern United States is a prime target for the not-hot peppers, Bosland says.

"While I was back there, a restaurant served some salsa. I mistook it for ketchup."