Thermolabile

Thermolabile refers to a substance which is subject to destruction/decomposition or change in response to heat. This term is often used to describe biochemical substances.

For example, many bacterial exotoxins are thermolabile and can be easily inactivated by the application of moderate heat. Loss of activity in such toxins is likely due to change in the three dimensional structure of the toxin protein during exposure to heat.

(antonym: "thermostable")

Thermolabilité