Take A Walk On The Mild Side: The Heatless Jalapeno Pepper

DALLAS - Here in Texas, where the fiery jalapeno is an official product and people even put chilies in their beer, there might not be a high demand for a new pepper without the spicy kick.

But San Antonio-based picante sauce maker Pace, best known for its ads decrying salsa "made in New York City?!" is banking on the success of a new heatless pepper for those who like their Mexican food on the mild side.

"A lot of people like peppers . . . but a lot of consumers don't like them too spicy. So producing a heatless pepper is a very worthwhile goal," said Richard Fery, a research geneticist at U.S. Department of Agriculture vegetable lab in Charleston, S.C.

Pace kept its new pepper under wraps until two weeks ago because it was waiting to secure proprietary rights to the seeds it secretly produced, said Lou Rasplicka, Pace's vice president of technology.

The company's clandestine plant-breeding program, dubbed Operation Big Chill, took place near Honolulu and at a secluded greenhouse in south Texas. The result was a jalapeno without capsaicin, the chemical that heats up everything from curry powder to salsa.

Pace already has used heatless jalapenos to replace bell peppers in its new line of extra mild picante sauce because they retain the flavor profile found in Pace's mild and hot salsas, Rasplicka said.

The new pepper, which is almost twice as big as its 2 1/2-inch-long spicy cousin, is getting mixed reviews. "Here in San

Antonio, a lot of people want it hot," said chef Arturo Guerrero, who whipped up several batches of picante using the no-heat peppers at Mi Tierra restaurant. "These (mild) jalapenos are good, though, for soft tacos or omelets," he said. "But Mexican food fans are looking for serranos or hot jalapenos."