The bactericidal efficiency of hydrostatic pressure treatment combined with a slow decompression (SD; about 30 s) or a rapid decompression (RD; about 2 ms) against clinically isolated Escherichia coli O157:H7 was investigated in apple juice, orange juice and McIlvaine buffers having the same pH values of the juices used. Effects of the SD and RD treatments on survivability of E. coli O157:H7 cells during storage at 4degreesC in the juices were also investigated. The RD treatment showed higher inactivation effect than the SD treatment in both the juices and buffers. Untreated E. coli O157:H7 cells were not inactivated during storage for 5 days; however, post-treatment storage after both the SD and RD treatments reduced survivability of E coli O157:H7 cells in the juices. The degree of the reduction was higher in the cells subjected to the RD treatment than to the SD treatment. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.