Louis Pasteur discovered pasteurization in 1864, which involves heating liquids to kill harmful bacteria while preserving flavor. It is used for milk, juice, and other products, and can be done through continuous or batch methods. Clean equipment and safe handling are crucial for food safety.
In 1864, a Frenchman named Louis Pasteur discovered that liquids like milk could be heated to a temperature slightly below boiling and kept there for a set amount of time to kill off the most harmful bacteria. The pasteurization process is named after Louis Pasteur in recognition of his immense contributions to food safety and the theory of disease. Grocery stores carry a variety of pasteurized products including milk, juice, non-dairy milk, and other similar food products. Many countries require foods to be pasteurized for safety.
Pasteurization is based on the principle that the most harmful bacteria can be killed by heat. The most effective way to kill bacteria is boiling, but this affects the flavor of the liquid. Pasteurization is somewhere in between, keeping the delicious flavor and making the food safer. In addition to minimizing the risk of disease, pasteurization makes foods more stable and less prone to rotting, which means dairy products and fresh juices are available to more people.
There are two main methods of pasteurization: the liquid can be heated to 145 degrees Fahrenheit (63 degrees Celsius) and held there for at least thirty minutes, or the liquid can be flash pasteurized at 161 degrees Fahrenheit (72 degrees Celsius) for a minimum of 16 seconds. Pasteurization can be done using a continuous method, where the liquid flows through a pasteurization system, or using a batch method, where one batch of the liquid is pasteurized at a time. Continuous pasteurization is popular for large producers, because it doesn’t slow down the feedline as much as batch pasteurization.
Pasteurization must be performed on clean equipment. If bacteria are introduced after the liquid has been pasteurized, they can colonize it and potentially cause a foodborne illness epidemic. For this reason companies that carry out pasteurization are subjected to frequent inspections to make sure that the equipment they use is safe and that the liquids they are pasteurizing are being handled correctly.
After pasteurization, bacteria can still appear. It is important that foods are handled and stored safely at every stage of the sourcing process, from the animal, fruit or vegetable to stomach. In most cases, after food has been pasteurized, it should be refrigerated. Food is kept refrigerated until shipped in refrigerated trucks to grocery stores, which keep the food refrigerated until consumers buy it. Home consumers are required to follow temperature guidelines to ensure that the food they consume is safe.
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