Quantitative assessment of high-pressure processing inactivation of foodborne bacteria and viruses in foods

High-pressure processing (HPP) is a non-thermal food processing technology that can inactivate microbiological hazards while preserving product quality. This study compiled 2692 D-values across 15 microbial hazards pressurized at different pressures at a temperature ≤ 45 °C. The Bigelow model was used to estimate D_ref values at P_ref of 500 MPa. Based on these values, microbial hazards were grouped into three HPP resistance categories across all food matrices: 1) Sensitive (D_500MPa ≤ 1 min): Vibrio spp., Aeromonas caviae, Campylobacter spp., Rotavirus, Cronobacter spp., Hepatitis A virus, Norovirus; 2) Moderate (1 < D_500MPa ≤ 3 min): Yersinia enterocolitica, Listeria monocytogenes, Mycobacterium tuberculosis var. bovis, non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica, Hepatitis E virus, Escherichia coli; and 3) Resistant (D_500MPa > 3 min): Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus (vegetative cells). However, food matrix composition strongly influenced microbial resistance to HPP: low water activity (a_w ≤ 0.95) conferred protection, while acidic (pH ≤ 4.5) or high a_w matrices (a_w > 0.95) enhanced inactivation. Multiple linear regression identified microbial species, a_w, and pH as significant predictors of the inactivation; other product characteristics, such as protein and carbohydrate content, showed limited effects. A decision-support framework was developed to evaluate microbial hazard resistance to HPP processing. The framework integrates three complementary approaches: 1) microbial hazard resistance ranking at 500 MPa, 2) matrix-stratified inactivation estimates by food category, and 3) multiple linear regression modeling using a_w and pH as independent variables. These approaches complement one another and support microbial hazard resistance evaluation under different data availability scenarios.