pasteurization

Clinical significance

• prevents food poisoning from Campylobacter, Salmonella, & Listeria

Procedure

• a process of heating a food, usually a liquid, especially dairy products, to a specific temperature for a specific length of time, then cooling it immediately
• the process is intended to reduce the number of viable pathogens so they are unlikely to cause disease
• milk is heated to at least 72 C for at least 16 seconds, then cooled to 4 C

Notes

• although heat-killing of pathogens has been documented in China since 1117, Louis Pasteur, French chemist & physician is credited for the modern version of pasteurization for the inclusion of immediate cooling after heating

More general terms

• procedure