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The heating of milk, wines, fruit juices, etc., for about 30 minutes at 68°C (154.4°F) whereby living bacteria are destroyed, but the flavor or bouquet is preserved; the spores are unaffected, but are kept from developing by immediately cooling the liquid to 10°C (50°F) or lower. SEE ALSO: sterilization. [L. Pasteur]
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pas·teur·iza·tion also Brit pas·teur·isa·tion .pas-chə-rə-'zā-shən, .pas-tə- n
1) partial sterilization of a substance and esp. a liquid (as milk) at a temperature and for a period of exposure that destroys objectionable organisms without major chemical alteration of the substance
2) partial sterilization of perishable food products (as fruit or fish) with radiation (as gamma rays)
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n.
the treatment of milk by heating it to 65°C for 30 minutes, or to 72°C for 15 minutes, followed by rapid cooling, to kill such bacteria as those of tuberculosis and typhoid.
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pas·teur·iza·tion (pas″chər-ĭ-zaґshən) [Louis Pasteur] the process of heating milk or other liquid or solid foods to a particular temperature for a defined time, to destroy or inactivate microorganisms that would cause spoilage, while retaining the flavor and quality of the food.Medical dictionary. 2011.