Pasteurization is a method of heat-processing food to destroy the pathogenic microbes that may contaminate it.
The process is named for the French scientist Louis Pasteur, who found that heating a substance to about 57 °C (135 °F) for a few minutes prevents abnormal fermentation and destroys bacteria and other microorganisms. Pasteurization of milk, widely practiced in some countries, calls for temperatures of about 63 °C (135 °F) maintained for 30 minutes or, alternatively, heating to a higher temperature (72 °C [162 °F]) and holding for 15 seconds.
