PASTEURIZING (NOT FOR TRYING @ HOME)

Pasteurization is a compromise. If we boil a food, we kill all bacteria and make the food sterile, but it will significantly affect the taste and nutritional value of the food. When we pasteurize a food (almost always a liquid) what is actually done is heating it to a high enough temperature to kill certain (but not all) bacteria and to disable certain enzymes, and in return minimizing the effects on taste.

Commonly pasteurized foods include milk, ice cream, fruit juices, Milk, for example, can be pasteurized by heating to 145 degrees F for half an hour or 163 degrees F for 15 seconds.

Ultra High Temperature (UHT) pasteurization completely sterilizes the product. It is used to created "tetra paks of milk" that we commonly see nowadays. IN UHT pasteurization, the temperature of the milk is raised to 285 degrees F or so for 1 or 2 seconds, sterilizing the milk.