Study Guides/Chemistry/What is Pasteurisation?
Study Guide · Chemistry

What is Pasteurisation? Process and Importance

Pasteurisation is a heat treatment process used to kill most harmful microorganisms (bacteria, viruses) in liquid food — especially milk and juice — without boiling it, to preserve its nutritional value and taste.

Question (Click to Flip)

What is pasteurisation?

Answer

Pasteurisation is a heat treatment process that heats liquid food to a specific temperature to kill harmful bacteria, without boiling it.

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Key Facts

Inventor: Louis Pasteur (1864).

Temperature: 72°C for 15 seconds (HTST method).

Purpose: Kill harmful bacteria without destroying nutrients.

Used For: Milk, fruit juice, beer, wine.

Does Not Make It Sterile: Some harmless bacteria survive.

The Process

Step 1: The liquid is heated to a specific temperature:

  • HTST (High-Temperature Short-Time): Heated to 72°C for 15 seconds.
  • LTLT (Low-Temperature Long-Time): Heated to 63°C for 30 minutes.

Step 2: The liquid is then rapidly cooled to below 10°C.

This kills pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria like Salmonella and Listeria.

Why Not Just Boil It?

Boiling (100°C) kills all bacteria but also destroys vitamins, changes the taste, and denatures proteins. Pasteurisation uses a lower temperature to kill only the harmful bacteria while preserving nutrients.

Inventor

Pasteurisation was invented by the French scientist Louis Pasteur in 1864.

Questions and Answers

What is pasteurisation?+

Pasteurisation is a heat treatment process that heats liquid food to a specific temperature to kill harmful bacteria, without boiling it.

Who invented pasteurisation?+

Pasteurisation was invented by the French scientist Louis Pasteur in 1864.

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