pasteurization

meaning in plain English

Heating food for a short time to kill germs, then cooling it fast to keep it safe to eat longer.

Picture a quick hot bath for milk—pasteurization, a flash heat then chill to zap germs and keep it safe.

for example

Milk goes through pasteurization to kill bad bacteria before it’s sold in stores.

Imagine leaving milk out on the counter—it spoils fast because germs grow quickly. Pasteurization is like giving the milk a quick hot shower to wipe out those germs before they can make you sick, then chilling it down so they can’t come back.