Explanation:

Sterilization may be defined as the statistically complete destruction of all microorganisms including the most resistant bacteria and spores.

It is a condition that is difficult to achieve and hard to prove. Whilst there are many chemicals, inorganic and organic, that kill microorganisms they may not be totally effective and can leave undesirable or toxic residues.

Ultraviolet and Ionising radiations are also effective biocides, disrupting or modifying the DNA to prevent replication, but Ultraviolet will not produce the effective results and easy validation that moist heat (steam) sterilization can provide. If sterility is an absolute requirement then today’s scientists turn, as their predecessors did, to steam.