Abstract: In order to study the preservation effect of modified atmosphere packaging combined with high power pulse microwave on crab meat, the treatment of different gas types and their composition ratio (100% CO₂, 80% CO₂+20% N₂, 50% CO₂+50% N₂, 20% CO₂+80% N₂) combined with high power pulse microwave (HPPM, action frequency 200 Hz, 6 min) were set in the experiment. The changes of total bacterial colonies, total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) of crab meat were measured during storage at 25 ℃. The results showed that the total bacterial colonies, TVB-N and TBARS of crab meat packaged with different modified atmosphere were lower than those of the control group, and the inhibition effect of 100% CO₂ treatment group was the best. The modified atmosphere packaging combined with HPPM significantly (P<0.05) enhanced the inhibitory effect, and greatly reduced the TVB-N and TBARS. 100% CO₂ modified atmosphere packaging combined with HPPM could extend the shelf life by 2 d under 25 ℃ storage.