Effects of high-pressure carbon dioxide on microbial quality and germination of cereal grains and beans

•Seeds were treated after equilibration to aw 0.75 and soaking.•HPCD reduced fungi and bacteria on oats, and barley grains, soy and mung beans.•Salmonella was more resistant than Escherichia coli.•HPCD prevented growth of A. niger and P. roqueforti for 10 d after treatment.•More than 90% of mung beans germinated after treatment. [Display omitted] Decontamination of low aw foods without impairing the food quality is challenging, particularly for sprouting seeds. This study aimed to explore the lethality of high pressure carbon dioxide (HPCD) to Salmonella enterica, E. coli AW1.7, A. niger, P. roquforti, and Fusarium on beans, cereal grains, and ground pepper. The optimal antimicrobial effect of HPCD was achieved by equilibration of the aw to 0.75, followed by soaking in water and treatments with water-saturated CO2. HPCD reduced the viable cell counts of E. coli and Salmonella by 3–10 log(CFU/g), and prevented fungal growth during 10 d of incubation. More than 90% of mung beans germinated but the germination of oats was impaired after fungicidal or bactericidal treatments with HPCD. Overall, HPCD can be a promising antimicrobial treatment but treatment parameters need to be optimized for each type of seed.