While kill steps are designed to significantly reduce or eliminate pathogens to safe levels, not all pathogens may be completely eradicated. The effectiveness of a kill step depends on multiple factors, including the type of food, the specific pathogen, and the conditions applied during the kill step (e.g., temperature, time). Some spore-forming bacteria, for example, may survive pasteurization but are unable to grow in the finished product due to other control measures in place.