Rennet is a substance contained in ruminant mammals
ruminant mammals
. It mainly contains the enzyme used for the
manufacture
of
cheese
.
Its main function is to separate the casein from its liquid phase, which is what we call whey.
Etymological meaning of rennet
If we look for the etymological meaning of the word rennet it would be, it derives from the Latin verb agere, to make and from
coagulum
which would be clot, consolidated lump of a liquid. This is where most of the verb cuajar comes from.
How did cheese come about?
We have already told you that it is not very well known how cheese came into being. What we do know is that it was approximately 11,000 years ago, in those parts of Europe where pastoralism was practiced
grazing
.
The milk milk from the animals was heated to make a hot paste that was eaten. This was the basis for making cheese, as we know it today.
The first step in the manufacturing process is to involve the milk’s coagulating enzymes in the coagulation process.
The process step by step
Renin, which is a type of enzyme, catalyzes the breakdown of milk, thereby destabilizing the protein and causing it to precipitate to form curd.
The resulting liquid is whey, which can be reused to make other dairy products, such as cottage cheese.
Renin is obtained from the fourth stomach of calves or lambs depending on the needs of the product to be produced.
The extraction of rennet is a complex and prolonged treatment of stomach drying, in addition to a high price and availability problems, which has led to the search for alternatives to natural rennet.
For this reason, the dairy industry has sought and found enzymes from other organisms, and is currently working with microbiological enzymes for some types of cheeses on the market. These enzymes can be produced economically and in satisfactory quantities.
A new industry approach is the utilization of renin DNA from a species of microorganism that exhibits properties identical to the original renin, making it possible to obtain more than 60% pure enzyme.
Genetic engineering has also developed a chymosin recombinant produced from a microorganism.
They have also studied lactic acid bacteria, which play an important role in cheese production by breaking down milk proteins, giving the product a characteristic taste.
Now we know a little more about rennet. Did you find it interesting? Leave us your comments. We look forward to reading you
