ABSTRACTHibiscus beverage was treated with dense phase carbon dioxide (DPCD), and inactivation was determined using yeasts and molds (Y&M) and aerobic plate counts (APCs). A central composite design with pressure (13.8–34.5 MPa) and residence time (5–8 min) at constant temperature (40C) and %CO2 was used. A storage study (14 weeks at 4C) included the DPCD treated (34.5 MPa, 8% CO2, 6.5 min and 40C), thermal treated (HTST) (75C for 15 s) and untreated (control) beverages monitoring microbial growth, pH, °Brix, titratable acidity (TA) and color. A minimum of 5 and 0.85 log reductions for Y&M and APC was achieved for all DPCD treatments. APC remained ∼2 logs during the 14 weeks of storage, while Y&M were reduced ∼3 logs and remained stable for both DPCD and HTST samples. °Brix and pH were not affected by DPCD treatment, whereas TA increased. A slight decrease was observed for a*, b*, hue angle and chroma for all treatments. Overall results showed that DPCD can be competitive with HTST process producing a shelf stable product while minimally affecting its physicochemical attributes.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSHibiscus beverage processing requires an extraction step followed by a preservation method. New processing technologies such as dense phase carbon dioxide require little to no heat and may help to maintain the fresh‐like color, flavor and nutrients of the beverage. This research pursues the optimal processing conditions for a hibiscus beverage by comparing dense phase carbon dioxide processing with traditional pasteurization, and following the microbial stability and physicochemical attributes of these beverages after processing and during storage.