Louis Pasteur was a great scientist who not only made significant achievements in the field of microbiology but also invented a food preservation method that is still widely used today—the process of pasteurization (巴氏杀菌法).
In the mid-19th century, Pasteur noticed that wine and beer often turned sour during production, causing substantial economic losses for the brewing industry (酿酒行业). At that time, brewers did not understand the specific reasons why alcoholic drinks would turn sour.
Pasteur began conducting a series of experiments to determine the cause of the souring of alcoholic drinks. He discovered that the souring was due to microorganisms in the air entering the drinks. These microorganisms would multiply in the drinks, causing them to go bad.
To prove that microorganisms were not generated on their own but came from pre-existing microorganisms, Pasteur designed a famous experiment known as the swan neck flask (鹅颈瓶) experiment. He attached a curved glass tube to a bottle containing soup. The soup was exposed to air, but microorganisms in the air could not directly enter the soup. This experiment demonstrated that soup without microorganisms would not go bad.
Based on these findings, Pasteur began searching for a method to kill the microorganisms in wine while preserving its quality. He discovered that by heating the wine to a certain temperature and maintaining it for a period, he could kill the microorganisms without destroying the flavor of wine. This method later became known as pasteurization.
Pasteurization was quickly adopted by the brewing industry and rapidly spread to other food and beverage industries. This method not only extended the she lf life of foods but also improved food safety.
The invention of pasteurization had a profound impact on the food industry. Even today, pasteurization is widely used in the production of milk, juice, and other foods, helping to reduce the risk of food-related illnesses.
