Pasteurization
/ˌpæs.tjʊə.raɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/noun
The process of heating a liquid or food to kill harmful microorganisms and slow spoilage.
Did you know?Pasteurization is named after Louis Pasteur, whose experiments helped prove that invisible microbes—not mystical “bad air”—were behind many kinds of spoilage and disease.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
pasta
“Dough or paste.”
Old French
Old French
paste
“Paste or dough.”
19th Century
French
Pasteur
“A surname derived from a word for someone associated with pasture; the scientist Louis Pasteur bore this name.”
Late 19th Century
French
pasteuriser
“To treat a liquid by controlled heating to reduce spoilage microorganisms.”
Late 19th Century
English
pasteurization
“The process of treating food or drink by heating it to reduce harmful microbes.”
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