A process step (or steps) used to destroy pathogenic microorganisms in a product to make the product safe for human consumption is called:

The term defined in the question refers to the methods involved in eliminating harmful microorganisms from food products, ensuring they are safe for consumption. "Lethality" specifically refers to the capability of a process step to effectively kill or inactivate pathogens that can cause foodborne illnesses.

In food safety and preservation, achieving lethality is a crucial component of methods like pasteurization or cooking, where certain temperature and time combinations target specific microorganisms, thus significantly reducing or removing their presence in the product. Understanding lethality helps in setting guidelines for safe food processing, ensuring that food products can be consumed without the risk of disease transmission caused by pathogenic organisms.

The other options, while relevant in the context of food processing, do not specifically denote the killing or inactivation of microorganisms. For example, "treatment" can refer to various processes applied to food without necessarily implying effectiveness against pathogens, "stabilization" generally involves ensuring product quality over time rather than focusing solely on safety, and "drying" is a method for preservation but does not guarantee the destruction of all pathogens. Hence, lethality is the precise term used when discussing the elimination of harmful microorganisms in food safety protocols.