Where Does Animal Rennet Come From? | culture: the word on cheese (2024)

FAQs

Where Does Animal Rennet Come From? | culture: the word on cheese? ›

Rennet is an enzyme derived typically from the lining of the fourth stomach of young ruminant animals like goat, lambs, calves, etc. It is only found in the young animals which still depend on milk as their basic source for food. It is a complex set of enzymes that cause the milk to curdle.

Rennet is made of enzymes that are found in the lining of un-weened mammal stomachs, usually from a cow (calf), sheep (lamb) or goat (kid). Young mammals' main source of food is milk.

Starter cultures are also those microorganisms (bacteria, yeasts, and molds or their combinations) that initiate and carry out the desired fermentation essential in manufacturing cheese and fermented dairy products [7]. Rennet and rennin are general terms for any enzyme used to coagulate milk.

Parmesan cheese is made with animal rennet which is an enzyme that comes from the fourth lining of the stomach of animals, typically calves, goats, and lambs. The animal is usually killed in the process. The rennet is then taken and dried so it becomes solid.

Historically, rennet was harvested from the stomach lining of young cows, sheep, and goats, and many cheeses are still made with animal rennet.

Younger, soft cheeses like mozzarella, cottage cheese, cream cheese, ricotta, goat, and provolone often are not made with rennet. However, this isn't an exhaustive list, so be sure to read your labels carefully!.

Most folks are ok with traditional rennet, which is derived from the stomach lining of animals (remember – no animal is ever sacrificed only for rennet). However, some choose to stick with “vegetarian” cheeses, which use plant-based or synthetic rennet to coagulate the milk.

“Calf stomachs are ground and then soaked in an enzyme extraction solution,” which makes the end products not vegetarian by most standards. While all cheeses labeled Parmigiano-Reggiano definitely contain animal-derived rennet, Parmesan can go either way.

Cheeses That Don't Use Rennet

"Many softer styles of cheese like mozzarella, paneer, ricotta, and cream cheese use whey or another type of acid as their coagulant instead of rennet, so they will be safe for vegetarians," says Birnbaum.

In heart-wrenching scenes, cows have been witnessed chasing after a trailer carrying their calf away. Mothers have been known to grieve for days after their calf is removed, bellowing loudly in distress.

Does tillamook cheese use animal rennet? ›

Rennet is an enzyme that helps coagulate the milk during the cheesemaking process. Since 2016, we have utilized fermentation-produced rennet that has Kosher and Halal certification and is vegetarian. We believe it closely mimics the flavor and quality profiles of a traditional bovine rennet.

*Kraft Grated Parmesan uses microbial rennet, but can occasionally contain lipase, which is animal-derived.

Most Sargento^® natural cheeses are made with non-animal rennets. The Sargento^® natural cheeses that may contain animal enzymes are those generally considered traditional Italian cheese styles such as Parmesan, Romano, Provolone, Asiago, and Fontina.

The use of animal-derived rennet in cheesemaking has raised ethical concerns due to the potential mistreatment of animals involved in its production. Because animal rennet is extracted from the stomach of young ruminants, some animal rights advocates argue that the practices can be cruel and inhumane.

Many cheeses contain the animal rennet — an enzyme that helps milk separate into curds and whey. That enzyme is typically derived from the stomach of calves killed for veal, so most vegetarians see it as off-limits.

Modern method. Deep-frozen stomachs are milled and put into an enzyme-extracting solution. The crude rennet extract is then activated by adding acid; the enzymes in the stomach are produced in an inactive form and are activated by the stomach acid.

Earliest origins

For preservation purposes, cheese-making may have begun by the pressing and salting of curdled milk. Animal skins and inflated internal organs already provided storage vessels for a range of foodstuffs.