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 1848, the young Louis Pasteur — inventor of pasteurization and rabies vaccination — became the first to notice that organic molecules can come in mirror-image versions. —Thomas Moynihan, Big Think, 15 Sep. 2025

And another popular influencer offers a particularly wild take on pasteurization stemming from a Chicago-area case of large-scale foodborne illness that plagued the nation 40 years ago. —Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025

The belief is that pasteurization destroys some of the vitamins and minerals naturally found in milk. —Julie Scott, Verywell Health, 25 Aug. 2025

The Meat and Dairy Salesroom sells dairy products like ice cream, many of which are made during classes and research projects, from pasteurization to flavor mixing, with milk from the campus dairy farm. —Talia McWright, Twin Cities, 21 Aug. 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)