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Rennet

Rennet is a kind of proteolytic enzyme, and is characterized by having specific proteolytic activity represented by milk coagulating activity (MCA) which cleaves a specified site in K-casein to induce a milk coagulating phenomenon, and non-specific proteolytic activity. Rennet derived from animal tissue, such as the fourth stomach (abomasum) of bovine animals, includes two milk clotting enzymes, chymosin and bovine pepsin. The relative concentration of these two enzymes varies widely depending primarily on the age of the animal at the time of slaughter and/or its diet. Casein is a by-product of the dairy industry and is usually prepared from skim milk by acid precipitation (acid casein) or by enzyme coagulation with rennin (rennet casein). Rennet casein is preferred to acid casein for many food uses due to its better flavor and flavor retention characteristics and has been used to make cheese analogs. Calf rennet is obtained from the fourth stomach of unweaned calves.

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