measuring heat-killing efficiency

Question 1

thermal death time (TDT)

Answer 1

shortest time needed to kill ALL microorganisms in a suspension at a specific temp and under defined condition

this is hard to do so D value is more commonly used

Question 2

decimal reduction time (DRT or D value)

Answer 2

time required to kill 90% (aka 1 log) of microorganisms or spores in a sample at a specific temp

Question 3

the substrate (environment) has a dramatic influence on how

Answer 3

effective the temp is in killing an organism