What You Need to Know
At 121 °C, the combination of heat and pressure disrupts spore cortex and core structures, denaturing proteins and nucleic acids. The increased pressure also suppresses vapor formation, enabling uniform heat transfer and preventing boiling loss. The process is governed by the Arrhenius relationship, where microbial inactivation rate increases exponentially with temperature and pressure.
The Science
Primary Reaction
Inactivation of vegetative cells and spores through heat and pressure-induced denaturation