Glossary
What is Pasteurisation?
Also called: pasteurization
Pasteurisation is mild heat treatment, usually below 100 °C, that kills pathogens and many spoilage microbes in foods like milk and juice, extending shelf life.
Most liquids are pasteurised continuously in a heat exchanger. The classic milk standards are 72 °C for 15 seconds in continuous high-temperature short-time (HTST) pasteurisation, or 63 °C for 30 minutes in a batch pasteuriser. Both are designed to heat every particle of milk to at least that temperature for that time.
Pasteurisation kills vegetative bacteria but not most bacterial spores. For that reason, pasteurised products usually still need refrigeration, unlike ultra-high-temperature (UHT) or retorted foods. In the United States, 21 CFR 1240.61 requires milk and milk products in final package form for direct human consumption that move in interstate commerce to be pasteurised, with limited exceptions.