During pasteurization, food I is heated to a high temperature for a specified period of time and immediately cooled. What is a benefit of having foods pasteurized? C A. Reducing the transmission of diseases by pathogenic bacteria o B. Making milk proteins and fats more digestible during digestion C. Increasing the nutritional value of milk and other daily products D. Introducing beneficial bacteria and vitamins into food products

## Step 1<br />Pasteurization is a process that involves heating food, particularly dairy products, to a specific temperature for a certain period of time, and then immediately cooling it. This process is named after Louis Pasteur, a French microbiologist who developed this method to kill harmful microbes in beverages and food.<br /><br />## Step 2<br />The primary purpose of pasteurization is to reduce the number of harmful microbes in food, particularly pathogenic bacteria. This is done by heating the food to a temperature that kills these bacteria, but not high enough to change the food's nutritional value or taste.<br /><br />## Step 3<br />The other options provided, such as making milk proteins and fats more digestible, increasing the nutritional value of milk and other dairy products, and introducing beneficial bacteria and vitamins into food products, are not the primary benefits of pasteurization. While pasteurization may have some secondary effects on these aspects, they are not the main goal of the process.