James Bradley, Lecturer in History of Medicine/Life Science at University of Melbourne, Australia, looks at the legacy of Louis Pasteur:
"While the natural food movement insists sterilisation techniques destroy many nutritional benefits, there can be no doubt these same techniques have been instrumental in reducing morbidity and mortality from the consumption of bacteria-ridden food and drink. Of these, pasteurisation is one of the most important. It involves heating food or drink to a temperature where most harmful bacteria are eradicated. It’s particularly associated with milk, but is used across a wide range of products."
theconversation.com/got-mil...
"So powerful was the argument provided by the germ theory of disease, that more often than not it was consumer choice that drove pasteurisation, rather than state legislation."
Worth remembering when you next encounter an arguments about the risks of infection posed by microbes in the food supply versus the negative impacts of pasteurisation upon the nutritional value of milk.
I note that the article states that in England and Wales, whether to buy pasteurised milk or not remains a matter of choice. Perhaps the cooler climate compared to Australia, reduces the build up of bacteria and the associated toxins in milk.
Neil
Photo: I guess this is what you call a spreading gum tree...
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