Pastorizzati

Pastorizzati refers to a process of heat treatment applied to food products, most commonly milk, to reduce the number of viable microorganisms to levels unlikely to cause disease. This method is named after the French scientist Louis Pasteur, who discovered that heating wine and beer could prevent spoilage. The primary goal of pasteurization is not to sterilize the food, but to make it safer for consumption by eliminating pathogenic bacteria, yeasts, and molds.

There are several methods of pasteurization. The most common for milk is High-Temperature Short-Time (HTST) pasteurization, which involves heating milk to at least 72°C (161°F) for 15 seconds. Another method is Ultra-High Temperature (UHT) pasteurization, where milk is heated to at least 135°C (275°F) for a few seconds, resulting in a longer shelf life even without refrigeration. Lower temperature pasteurization methods, like Batch pasteurization, exist but are less common commercially.

Pasteurization significantly extends the shelf life of perishable goods by slowing down spoilage and reducing the risk of foodborne illnesses such as Listeriosis, Salmonella, and E. coli infections. While it reduces the number of microorganisms, it does not eliminate all of them, meaning pasteurized products still require proper storage and have a limited shelf life compared to sterilized products. The process is widely adopted in the dairy industry and is also applied to fruit juices, eggs, and other beverages to enhance their safety and marketability.