Pasteurization of Milk

Milk is an excellent growth medium for microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast, and molds. In the early 1900s, it was frequently the vehicle for carrying such serious foodborne illnesses as typhoid, diphtheria, scarlet fever, and tuberculosis. Pasteurization, named after Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), was originally used to treat wine and beer, but soon came into use to treat milk as well, when it was found that heating milk for a short time to below its boiling point killed microorganisms. Read more »