At what temperature are harmful food poisoning bacteria killed?

Harmful food poisoning bacteria are effectively killed at a temperature of 72 degrees Celsius. This temperature is significantly above typical cooking temperatures for most foods, ensuring that heat penetrates adequately to eliminate a wide range of pathogens that can cause foodborne illness. Cooking foods to this temperature not only denatures proteins in bacteria, destroying their structure, but also ensures that any toxins produced by these microorganisms are rendered inactive.

In contrast, the other temperatures listed do not adequately eliminate harmful bacteria. For instance, 5 degrees Celsius is often used for refrigeration, which slows down bacterial growth but does not kill bacteria. Similarly, 0 degrees Celsius and -18 degrees Celsius represent freezing temperatures that can preserve food by stopping bacterial growth but do not effectively kill existing bacteria.