Acidic electrolyzed water is a new type of non thermal processing technology, which was widely used in preserving the quality of aquatic products. In order to investigate the possible preservation mechanism, this study starts from the microbial control perspective, focuses on the inhibitory effect of acidic electrolyzed water towards total number of bacteria and spoilage bacteria in shrimp, then analyzes the correlation between them and shrimp meat quality. Results showed that AEW not only has a high capability to reduce the number of total bacteria and specific spoilage bacteria (Pseudomonas and Shewanella spp, P<0.05), but also sustained suppressing the growth of total bacteria and specific spoilage bacteria in the subsequent 4℃ cold storage. In addition, AEW had an obvious capability in limiting the changes of pH, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) and color changes in shrimp. Correlation analysis showed that microbial indexes and quality indexes of shrimps during storage has a good consistency. Acidic electrolyzed water can preserve the quality of shrimp by inhibiting the growth of total bacteria and specific spoilage organisms. In conclusion, this paper provided theoretical basis for further exploring the mechanism of AEW on improving the quality and safety of food.