What is pasteurization?
Q: What is pasteurization?
A: Pasteurization is a process of heat processing a liquid or food to kill pathogenic bacteria, making it safe to eat.
Q: Who invented the process of pasteurization?
A: The process of pasteurization was first done by Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard on 20 April 1862.
Q: What does pasteurization do?
A: Pasteurization gets a "log reduction" in the number of microorganisms, bringing their number down so they are unlikely to cause disease if the product is kept in the refrigerator and consumed before its sell-by date.
Q: Is commercial sterilization common for food?
A: No, commercial sterilization of food is not common because it tends to destroy the flavour of the food.
Q: How does pasteurizing differ from sterilizing?
A: Unlike sterilizing, pasteurizing is not intended to kill all microorganisms in the food; instead it reduces their numbers so that they are unlikely to cause disease.
Q: What foods are typically pasteurized?
A: Producers usually pasteurize dairy and other foods to make them safe to consume.
