Material and Methods
Milk samples
A total of 156 samples of pasteurized milk and 15 samples of UHT milk, all produced under the supervision of the Brazilian Federal Food Inspection Service (SIF) in the State of Santa Catarina were collected from different dairy plants located throughout the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil. The samples were collected and stored in iceboxes containing recyclable ice to keep the temperature below 4 °C (Brasil, 2002). Next, they were transported to the Microbiology Laboratory of the Department of Food Science and Technology of the Federal University of Santa Catarina.