What You Need to Know
The high‑pressure environment forces water above its normal boiling point, allowing uniform heat transfer that denatures bacterial enzymes and disrupts spore membranes. At 116 °C, the dipicolinic acid–protein complexes in C. botulinum spores are destabilized, leading to irreversible loss of viability. Precise control of temperature, pressure, and time ensures complete spore inactivation without excessive nutrient degradation.
The Science
Primary Reaction
thermal inactivation of Clostridium botulinum spores