Why do we pasteurize milk?

Answer 1

Milk is pasteurised to kill off pathogens (microorganisms that can make you sick) and spoilage bacteria.

Pasteurisation does not kill all microorganisms, but reduces the amount of microorganisms that can cause spoilage. This increases the available shelflife of the product.

Answer 2

This depends on where you live. In the United States and Canada, conventional dairies (or all dairies, rather) are required to pasteurize their milk due to health concerns related to bacterial infection that make come from unpasteurized milk.

However, in the United Kingdom and most of the European Union (and a lot of other countries including India and most countries of Africa) milk is not pasteurized because research has shown that good bacteria and other components of milk are destroyed or chemically altered, making it less healthy than raw milk. Also, most people that have dairy cattle do not have access to such expensive equipment as bulk tanks that can pasteurize milk, and have no choice but to drink it straight out of the cow.

There has lately been a movement in the USA and Canada for some dairy producers to sell and produce raw milk because of the health benefits that come with it. However it is slow in coming because it goes against most dairy associations and national health regulations.

Answer 3

Milk is pasteurized to kill any germs in the milk.

Answer 4

Milk is pasteurized in order to kill any harmful bacteria in it. The process of pasteurization is named after microbiologist Louis Pasteur.

Answer 5

The milk is heated to a high temperature and then cooled, to retard bacterial activity.

Answer 6

milk is pasteurized to kill bacteria