section_path: Production/Pasteurization
section_name: Pasteurization
paragraph_text: Pasteurization
  
  Pasteurization is the process of heating a liquid for a period of time at a specified temperature, then immediately cooling. The process reduces the growth of microorganisms within the liquid, thereby increasing the time before spoilage. It is primarily used on milk, which prior to pasteurization is commonly infected with pathogenic bacteria and therefore is more likely than any other part of the common diet in the developed world to cause illness.