Effects of high-pressure carbonation on intracellular ATP and NADH levels and DNA damage in Escherichia coli cells

In order to understand the microbial inactivation mechanism of high-pressure carbonation (HPC), we examined the changes in the activity of the respiratory chain and DNA damage in Escherichia coli cells. HPC was performed under 1-6 MPa at 30°C for 1 min. The increase in CO₂ pressure decreased the number of viable cells of E. coli, intracellular ATP, and intracellular NADH, and increased the number of apurinic/apyrimidinic sites. These results indicate that HPC has a detrimental effect on the functioning of the respiratory chain in E. coli and induces DNA damage, which could result in the death of the bacterial cells.