Final answer:
Normal cooking temperatures, typically around 74°C or 165°F, are often sufficient to destroy viruses present in food. Specialized methods such as pressure canning or commercial sterilization are required to destroy more resilient forms of bacteria, such as C. botulinum endospores. Applying HTST pasteurization for dairy products and using high-pressure processing for foods are other ways to control microbes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Viruses can indeed be inactivated at normal cooking temperatures. Most foodborne viruses and bacteria can be killed when food is cooked to an internal temperature of at least 74°C (165°F). It's important to use a cooking thermometer to ensure that food reaches these safe temperatures. However, some forms of microbial life, such as the Clostridium botulinum endospores, require even higher temperatures for destruction, achievable only through methods like pressure canning or commercial sterilization.
High-temperature, short-time (HTST) pasteurization techniques, commonly used for milk, expose the liquid to 72°C for at least 15 seconds which effectively kills most pathogens without compromising the sensory quality of the dairy product. In contrast, commercial sterilization targets to destroy pathogens that could cause food poisoning while preserving the food's quality. Techniques such as high-pressure processing and hyperbaric oxygen therapy are also employed to control microbial growth in food products and treat certain infections.