Heat resistance of prions and food processing

The knowledge of heat inactivation kinetics of scrapie and Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (CJD) prions is incomplete and fragmentary. This occurs also because the inactivation kinetics of prions is not exponential. However, by the analysis of available data, it results that usual food processing parameters are largely unable to kill prions. The required prions lethality could be reached by changing the food processing technology The aseptic process is the most promising alternative. (C) 1998 Academic Press Limited.