Pasteurization
Unlike sterilization, pasteurization is not intended to kill all microorganisms in the food. Instead, pasteurization  gets a "log reduction" in the number of microorganisms. It  brings their number down so they are unlikely to cause disease if the product is kept in the refrigerator and consumed before its sell-by date. Commercial sterilization of food is not common, because it tends to destroy the flavour of the food.