pasteurization

noun

pas·​teur·​i·​za·​tion ˌpas-chə-rə-ˈzā-shən 

ˌpas-tyə-,

-tə-

1

: partial sterilization of a substance and especially a liquid (such as milk) at a temperature and for a period of exposure that destroys objectionable organisms without major chemical alteration of the substance

2

: irradiation of food products

Examples of pasteurization in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In milk, meanwhile, pasteurization inactivates the virus, making commercially produced milk safe for consumption. —Evan Bush, NBC News, 9 Mar. 2025

Raw milk has not undergone pasteurization: a process of heating to a specific temperature to kill germs such as viruses or bacteria. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 13 Jan. 2025

By strictly supervising the pasteurization process, Evangelina ensured that no infants would die due to tainted milk supplies. —Laura Gómez, Scientific American, 26 Mar. 2025

These routinely collected bulk milk samples, which are taken before the pasteurization process, are subsampled by industry labs and sent for H5N1 testing to the Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Minnesota. —Forum News Service, Twin Cities, 24 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pasteurization

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration

Kids Definition

pasteurization

noun

pas·​teur·​i·​za·​tion ˌpas-chə-rə-ˈzā-shən 

ˌpas-tə-

: the process of heating a liquid (as milk) to a temperature high enough and keeping it at that temperature long enough to kill many objectionable germs and then cooling it rapidly without causing a major change in its chemical composition

Medical Definition

pasteurization

noun

pas·​teur·​iza·​tion

variants also British pasteurisation

ˌpas-chə-rə-ˈzā-shən, ˌpas-tə- 

1

: partial sterilization of a substance and especially a liquid (as milk) at a temperature and for a period of exposure that destroys pathogenic microorganisms

2

: partial sterilization of perishable food products (as fruit or poultry) with radiation (as gamma rays emitted by cobalt 60)