Extracellular pH decline introduced by high pressure carbon dioxide is a main factor inducing bacteria to enter viable but non-culturable state

High pressure carbon dioxide (HPCD) has been used in food processing as a non-thermal pasteurization technology. However, the potential of HPCD to induce viable but non-culturable (VBNC) cells limits its application. The objective of this study was to explore the roles of extracellular pH of 3 (pH