Rennet - properties and uses. What effect does it have on the human body?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Rennet is a complex organic substance that is produced in the stomach of calves, lambs and other newborn cattle. As you know, such a substance contributes to the breakdown, as well as the processing of mother's milk, which the cub consumes. It should be especially noted that this enzyme cannot be obtained artificially. In this regard, it is quite expensive, but very effective in the preparation of dairy products.

Self-extraction and drying of the enzyme

If you want to make homemade cheese or cottage cheese using such a product, you can buy it at a pharmacy. As a rule, the presented ingredient is sold in the form of a light gray or white powder, which has neither odor nor color. It should also be noted that in pharmacy chains it is sold extremely rarely. Thus, in the absence of a factory-made product, rennet can be prepared at home. To do this, the extracted abomasum after the slaughter of a calf or lamb should be cleaned, andtie the ends of the holes, inflate with air and leave for several days in the shade or in a warm room (at 18-20 degrees). Further, the dried product should be wrapped in dark paper and stored until immediate use. For the preparation of cheese or cottage cheese, it is advisable to use such an enzyme after 2-4 months after drying, because mucus may appear in the solution used from a fresh ingredient.

What role does rennet play in the production of cheese and other dairy products?

Rennet is often used to make cheese. Indeed, during the production of this product, a rapid separation of the protein components of a fresh milk drink from whey is required. As you know, such a substance of animal origin consists of two elements: pepsin and chymosin. And thanks to these components, rennet acts as a kind of catalyst in the process of making delicious and tender cheese. After all, it is his addition that quickly curdles milk by separating protein components from whey.

Is it profitable for manufacturers?

Despite the fact that such a component is expensive, it is actively used by manufacturers of dairy products. After all, cheese without rennet is less tasty and tender. In addition, the process of curdling milk using this substance is much faster, which allows you to produce much more products.

Also followsIt should be noted that rennet has absolutely no effect on the organoleptic properties of the final product. In other words, cheese made using this substance does not change in color, taste and remains aromatic. By the way, by the appearance of a dairy product, it is completely impossible to understand whether it was made using an enzyme or not.

How is cheese made?

After the rennet is added to milk, it turns into a dense clot. This separates the whey from the protein component. If at this stage production is stopped, then you will get a very tasty cottage cheese. If you want to make hard and fragrant cheese, then the grain, which has reached a certain percentage of moisture, should be placed in a mold with holes for draining the whey, and then pressed and sent for s alting. The formed bars should be in the brine for about 10 days, after which they need to be put on the shelves for full maturation (about 3 weeks).

Rennet: is it bad for the body?

As mentioned above, it is quite difficult to determine whether a particular cheese is made using a given substance. After all, you will never find such an enzyme in the composition of the product. This is due to the fact that rennet is not found in cheese or cottage cheese, as it is only used to curdle milk. However, it should be noted that due to the laboriousness of its extraction from the stomachs of young calves, lambs and kids, since the beginning of the 1990s, a similar enzyme has been produced.(rennin) as a result of genetic biotechnology. Its manufacturing principle is approximately as follows: its gene is extracted from an animal, which is copied millions of times. After that, they are placed in a bacterial environment, where they are artificially grown. At the moment, the effect on the body of products that have been obtained through genetic engineering remains unclear. In this regard, it is rather difficult to say whether such an enzyme is harmful or not.

What can replace rennet?

Currently, there are several substitutes for rennet, which are actively used to make various cheeses and cottage cheese. Their use is also popular among dairy producers. For example, in Italy, in addition to rennet, other enzymes are used to create aromatic cheeses, which are produced by the tonsils of lambs, kids or calves. Such substances give the product a specific piquant taste, highly appreciated by gourmets.

It is also worth noting that the use of non-animal substances during the preparation of cheeses allows them to be used by adherents of vegetarianism. So, in the 1960s, scientists isolated strains of the fungi Mucor miehei and Mucor pusilus, which synthesized suitable enzymes, but with low activity. A little later, methods were developed for obtaining similar substances from Bacillus licheniformis, Pseudomonas mixoides, Edothea parasitica, etc. Three decades later, with the development of genetic biotechnology, rennin, which was produced by bacteria, began to be actively used for cheese production.copies of the young calf gene. As you know, it has greater purity, stability and activity than natural abomasum. Currently, more than 60% of hard cheeses are produced using this component.

Among other things, today there are vegetable substitutes for rennet. So, fig juice or starter grass is used instead. However, such enzymes are rarely used in large-scale dairy production.