The basic principle of steam sterilization, as accomplished in an autoclave, is to expose each item to direct steam contact at the required temperature and pressure for the specified time. Thus, there are four parameters of steam sterilization: steam, pressure, temperature, and time.
There are many microorganisms that are known to be heat-resistant and are therefore hard to kill. As such, it is important to use as much heat and energy in order to kill them. Killing cells through heat can only be achieved by raising the temperature to a point in which the proteins in the cell begin to break down and coagulate. This is why steam is known to be an effective method of sterilization: it is an excellent medium for transferring heat, which makes it an excellent method to kill microorganisms. Relevant experimental results fully prove that only when the actual temperature and pressure of the mixture gas in the pressure steam sterilizer reach an optimal value, the actual sterilization effect can reach the optimal level.
Aside from this, steam sterilization is known to be non-toxic, inexpensive, and effective in killing microbes and spores as it can rapidly heat and penetrate surfaces.