## Special Issue: State-of-Art of Microbial Concerns in Food Safety
[3] characterized the bacterial load present in RTE sandwic and found the presence of some pathogens of interest for food safety, such as _Listeria_, _Staphylococcus_, _Enterococcus_, _Yersinia_, _Aeromonas_, and _Acineto-bacter_ spp. In relation to the virulence characters, this study showed that some strains had hemolytic and gelatinase activity, and even a resistance profile with multiple resistance to antibiotics. Once again, these studies underline the need to increase the level of attention and awareness, following good hygiene practices throughout the food chain, to prevent contamination by pathogens during preparation, handling, and storage. The implementation of good manufacturing practices, the availability of the hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) system, and new production and packaging technologies must aim at the elimination and/or reduction of the presence of food pathogens. In addition, reliable microbial assessment techniques must be used to ensure the safety and quality of food products throughout their shelf life. Despite their effectiveness, traditional diagnostic methods take time and, above all, require qualified personnel. Therefore, new reliable and rapid techniques are sought, such as, for example, infrared thermography, which allows immediate temperature measurements and short processing times to obtain a thermal image, non-contact measurements, and food destruction for monitoring in real time. The study by [PERSON] et al. [4] showed that infrared thermography can be used as a method for monitoring the growth of _Bacillus subtilis_ ATCC 6633 contamination in mortadella. The results obtained demonstrated that the thermal imaging method allows one to distinguish uncontaminated samples from samples contaminated by _B. subtilis_. However, before this method can be commonly used as a routine tool for food quality assessment, several limitations must be overcome, most notably the need to cool or heat the product to increase temperature contrast. Food preservation becomes essential to guarantee quality and safety. A variety of chemical preservatives are widely used to increase the healthiness and shelf life of food products. In recent years, following the demands of consumers, the food industry has moved towards the use of alternatives that allow them to guarantee the wholesomeness of food, keeping the nutritional values and their organoleptic properties unaltered. Technologies such as Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) treatment, which is capable of inactivating pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms in food, are being extensively researched. [PERSON] et al. [5] evaluated the damaging effects of pulsed electric fields on _Rhizoctonia solani_, which causes rice sheath blight. To date, the main treatment method for rice sheath blight is the application of chemical fungicides, which are effective, but can lead to drug resistance and other negative effects on environmental ecology in the long term. The study showed that PEF was able to destroy the cell membrane and cell wall structure of _R. solani_. This technology, in combination with the substances in use so far, has a good disease prevention performance, which can significantly reduce the amount of chemicals and meet the requirements of healthy food in the protection of rice plants. Recent research aims to develop products using natural ingredients to ensure the shelf life of processed foods while maintaining their safety, nutritional value, and sensory attributes such as plant extracts and natural antimicrobials produced by microorganisms, such as lactic acid bacteria (LAB). The antimicrobial activity of a plant active extract from garlic (_Allium sativum_ L.) and onion (_Allium cpa_ L.) against _Listeria monocytogenes_ was studied by [PERSON] et al. [6] in two meat products. The study highlighted the anti-listeria activity of the two extracts when added during the sausages' manufacturing process and during the shelf life of packed vacuum-cooked ham slices.