Relationship between membrane damage, leakage of intracellular compounds, and inactivation of Escherichia coli treated by pressurized CO 2

The relationship between membrane damage, leakage of intracellular compounds, and inactivation of Escherichia coli treated by pressurized CO 2 was investigated by assessing the inactivation, bacterial cell membrane permeability, the leakage of protein, nucleic acid, and K + and Mg 2+ of E. coli . The results indicated that pressurized CO 2 treatment induced the leakage of protein in E. coli , but the time of leakage was lagged behind the time of 99% E. coli inactivation, so it was only the secondary phenomenon of inactivation. The inactivation of E. coli was related to the leakage of nucleic acid, K + , Mg 2+ induced by the pressurized CO 2 treatment. There was direct relationship between the inactivation of E. coli and the damaging effect of pressurized CO 2 treatment on the cell membrane of E. coli .