Pasteurization

How it is used

Mostly used for milk, juice, liquid egg and beer. HTST (high temperature, short time) pasteurization of milk is typically 72 °C for 15 seconds. Pasteurized products are not sterile, so they usually need refrigeration. The verb is 'pasteurize'; British English also writes 'pasteurisation'.

Example sentences

1. After pasteurization, the milk is cooled immediately to 4 °C and pumped into storage tanks.

2. The alkaline phosphatase test confirms that pasteurization was carried out correctly.

Common collocations

• HTST pasteurization
• flash pasteurization
• pasteurization temperature
• pasteurize milk
• pasteurized product

Related terms

• heat treatmentAny process that uses heat to make food safe, extend its shelf life or change its properties, such as pasteurization, sterilization, blanching or cooking.
• sterilizationA treatment, usually with high heat, that destroys microorganisms and their spores so that a food can be stored at room temperature without spoiling or becoming unsafe.
• UHTUltra-high temperature: a heat treatment that heats a liquid food to about 135–150 °C for a few seconds and then packs it aseptically, so it keeps for months without refrigeration.
• heat exchangerA piece of equipment that transfers heat between two fluids without mixing them, for example to heat milk with hot water or to cool it with ice water.
• pathogenA microorganism, such as a bacterium, virus or parasite, that can cause disease in people who eat or drink a contaminated product.

More terms: Preservation and Heat Treatment

• refrigeration
• freezing
• drying
• canning
• D-value