Pasteurization is a food-preservation process that uses controlled, mild heat to reduce harmful microorganisms and slow spoilage. This lesson introduces the purpose of the process, its limits, and the historical developments that led to its use.
Pasteurization is a heat treatment, usually below 100 °C (212 °F), applied to food such as milk and juice. Heating destroys or deactivates many disease-causing microorganisms, spoilage organisms, and enzymes that contribute to deterioration. This improves food safety and extends shelf life.
All flashcards
What is pasteurization?
A controlled food treatment, usually using mild heat, that reduces microorganisms and enzyme activity to improve safety and preservation.
Why can raw milk present a microbial risk?
Milk supports microbial growth, and raw milk may carry pathogens that can multiply during storage.
What did Nicolas Appert contribute to food preservation?
He preserved food in sealed glass jars heated in boiling water, helping establish modern canning.
What is double pasteurization?
A secondary heating process that can extend shelf life by killing spores that germinated after the first treatment.
What is high-pressure processing (HPP)?
An alternative processing method that uses high pressure to reduce microorganisms.
Quiz questions
For acidic foods with a pH of 4.6 or less, what do pasteurization treatments commonly target?Answer: Spoilage microbes and enzymes that damage food quality.
Which time–temperature combination is commonly used for HTST pasteurization of milk?Answer: 72 °C for 15 seconds.
What does a flow diversion valve do when a continuous pasteurization system fails to meet its time or temperature requirements?Answer: It sends under-processed product back to the raw-product tank.
Which test is commonly used to monitor the effectiveness of milk pasteurization?Answer: Testing for the absence of alkaline phosphatase activity.
How does pulsed electric field (PEF) processing reduce microorganisms?Answer: It exposes food to brief electrical pulses.
Based on the Wikipedia article Pasteurization, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.