Pasteurization Role in Packaged Milk

Abstract

Pasteurizationis a hundred-year-old process that destroys pathogens through simple heat,and is best known for its role in making milk and juices safe forconsumption. French chemist andmicrobiologist Louis Pasteur invented this straightforward food safety technique in 1864.Pasteurization, named for Louis Pasteur who developed the process for other foods, is a moderatebut exact heat treatment of milk. Pasteurization kills bacteria that produce disease and retardsspoilage in milk. Pasteurization destroys most disease producing organisms and limits fermentationin milk, beer, and other liquids by partial or complete sterilization. The pasteurization processheatsmilk to 161 degrees Fahrenheit (63 degrees centigrade) for 15 seconds, inactivating or killingorganisms that grow rapidly in milk. Pasteurization does not destroy organisms that grow slowly orproduce spores. The articles we reviewed, however, clearly suggest that the risk of microbialhazards in raw milk is substantially higher than in pasteurized milk. Further, raw milk is more likelyto contain pathogens that are very harmful.