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From: johansen@agrigene.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.consumers,net.cooks,net.veg
Subject: Re: Restaurants Using Non-Dairy Creamers
Message-ID: <288@agrigene.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 18-Feb-86 10:22:58 EST
Article-I.D.: agrigene.288
Posted: Tue Feb 18 10:22:58 1986
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> > Isn't pasteurising sterilizing?
> 
> I think the difference is how long and how hot the process is.
> Pasteurization is the shorter and cooler of the two processes.
> Sterilization allows for no growth of any living organisms;
> pasteurization allows for a little.  The reason milk is generally
> pasteurized is that sterilization destroys the taste of milk.  This
> discussion, however, proves that recently, customers taste does not
> weigh at all against business peoples' profits, as sterilized milk
> and non-milk are now tolerated by many people.
> 
Actually, sterilization is a process that kills all microorganisms. If
bacteria are introduced (eg from the air, hands etc) they will grow just
fine in what was sterilized.
Pasteurization does not kill all microorganisms, but has been found to
kill most if not all harmful ones. Pasteurized milk will eventually
spoil, sterilized milk will not (at least not due to growth of
microbes) unless the container is openned.
I think milk sterilized with gamma rays is available on the shelf in
Canadian supermarkets and can be stored at room temperature. 
Pasteurized milk must be refrigerated.