Pasteurization is a process in which a food or drink is briefly heated to kill harmful microbes and slow spoilage, without cooking it. It is named for the French chemist Louis Pasteur, who worked on it in the 1860s while studying why wine and beer turned sour. He showed that microorganisms were responsible and that gentle heating could stop their growth without ruining the taste. A test with Claude Bernard on 20 April 1864 is often cited as the first. The technique was later applied to milk, becoming a major public health measure that reduced diseases such as tuberculosis and typhoid fever. Today it is used for milk, juices, eggs and many other foods around the world.
Before and after
- 13 January 1864Birth of Wilhelm Wien
- from 1 February 1864 to 31 October 1864Second Schleswig War
- from 10 March 1864 to 22 May 1864Red River campaign
- from 14 April 1864 to 1 January 1866Chincha Islands War
- 20 April 1864Pasteurization
- 21 April 1864Birth of Max Weber
- 13 May 1864Construction of Arlington National Cemetery
- 5 June 1864Publication of Ons Heemecht
- from 9 June 1864 to 25 March 1865Siege of Petersburg
More in Science & technology
- 1771Discovery of oxygen
- 1772Discovery of nitrogen
- 1789Discovery of carbon
- 1817Discovery of lithium
- 1825Discovery of aluminium
- 18 August 1868Discovery of helium
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.