Carbon dioxide is effective for extending the shelf-life of perishable foods by retarding bacterial growth. The overall effect of carbon dioxide is to increase both the lag phase and the generation time of spoilage microorganisms; however, the specific mechanism for the bacteriostatic effect is not known. Displacement of oxygen and intracellular acidification were possible mechanisms that were proposed, then discounted, by early researchers. Rapid cellular penetration and alteration of cell permeability characteristics have also been reported, but their relation to the overall mechanism is not clear. Several researchers have proposed that carbon dioxide may first be solubilized into the liquid phase of the treated tissue to form carbonic acid (H2CO3), and investigations by the authors tend to confirm this step, as well as to indicate the possible direct use of carbonic acid for retarding bacterial spoilage. Most recently, a metabolic mechanism has been studied by a number of researchers whereby carbon dio...