Tyndallization

Tyndallization is a process dating from the nineteenth century for sterilizing substances, usually food, named after its inventor, scientist John Tyndall. It is still occasionally used.

A simple, effective, sterilizing method used today is to heat the substance being sterilized to 121 °C for 15 minutes in a pressured system. If sterilisation under pressure is not possible because of lack of equipment, or the need to sterilise something that will not withstand the higher temperature, unpressurized heating at a temperature of up to 100 °C, the boiling point of water, may be used. The heat will kill the bacterial cells, but bacterial spores capable of later germinating into bacterial cells may survive. Tyndallization can be used to destroy the spores.