Pasteurization of milk is a process by which milk is heated to a certain temperature and then rapidly cooled, killing pathogens and increasing the milk's shelf life. Recently pasteurization has come under fire because it has been found that during pasteurization many helpful digestive enzymes are destroyed, and many dangerous pathogens, including the MAP bacterial strain, which is linked to Crohn’s disease, are not. Because of this, some people have started drinking ‘raw milk’ milk, which is not pasteurized or otherwise processed. Proponents of pasteurization point out that that pasteurization is still necessary to reduce bacterial contamination, and that heating milk at home also kills beneficial digestive enzymes. Raw milk drinkers argue that this argument is beside the point, since most people who drink milk do not heat it first, or else misleading, since
Which of the following best completes the passage?
A) Many of the proponents of pasteurization are dairy farmers who rely on the increased shelf life of pasteurized milk to
ship their product farther away.
B) It is clear that killing pathogens that may be present in milk is not the only effect of pasteurization.
C) Cooked milk is generally heated to a higher temperature than pasteurized milk is.
D) If milk subject to both processes destroys more digestive enzymes than either process alone, the claim is misleading.
E) Pasteurization serves to ensure a longer shelf life for milk, while heating milk is usually the final step in its preparation.