Vegetarian Rennet. The alternative to natural rennet. (2024)

FAQs

Vegetarian Rennet. The alternative to natural rennet.? ›

Typically, plant-based rennet for cheese comes from cardoon thistle, artichokes, or nettles. The plants are soaked in water to extract a thickening enzyme similar to chymosin.

Alternatives to Animal Rennet and How They Are Made

Plant-based options like fig leaves, stinging nettle, and thistle can be easily harvested and used to coagulate milk, while microbial rennet is produced using fermentation techniques to create enzymes that break down milk proteins.

Animal rennet is derived from the stomach of a calf, lamb or goat while their diets are still limited to milk, this is typically 90% pure chymosin. Vegetable rennet is made from a type of mold (Mucur Miehei). However, even though it is derived from mold, there is no mold contained in the final product.

The primary alternatives include: vegetable rennet, microbial rennet or fermentation-produced chymosin (chymosin, along with pepsin, is one of the primary coagulating enzymes in animal rennet). Fermentation-produced chymosin has been made several ways, deriving from calf or synthesized genes.

Plant-based rennet is acceptable but not widely used; in most cases, cardoon thistle is used to coagulate the milk. This is found most often in Spanish and Portuguese cheeses. Microbial rennet isn't used much in cheesemaking because it's unpredictable and can produce unwanted flavors, like bitterness.

An excellent vegetarian rennet for cheese, as well as the old fashioned pudding Junket. Supplied in various handy sizes to suit home, small scale and larger cheese producers. For directions, please follow instructions on product labels or according to your recipe.

Rennets from four principal sources are used commercially: rennet from neonatal mammals (calf, kid, or lamb), microbial rennet, fermentation-produced chymosin, and plant coagulants.

The rennet substitutes used most widely are Miehei coagulant (Rhizomucor miehei proteinase), Pusillus coagulant (Rhizomucor pusillus proteinase) and Parasitica coagulant (Cryphonectria parasitica proteinase).

Why is rennet banned in India? ›

In 1984 after 7 years of perseverance, Beauty Without Cruelty managed to convince the Government of India to impose a total ban on the import of animal rennet used in cheese-making. As this ban still exists, all Indian-made cheese is vegetarian.

Calf rennet is extracted from the inner mucosa of the fourth stomach chamber (the abomasum) of young, nursing calves as part of livestock butchering. These stomachs are a byproduct of veal production.

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.

The most widely used rennet substitutes are Miehei coagulant (R. miehei proteinase), Pusillus coagulant (R. pusillus proteinase), and Parasitica coagulant (C. parasitica proteinase).

Younger, soft cheeses like mozzarella, cottage cheese, cream cheese, ricotta, goat, and provolone often are not made with rennet.

Most hard cheeses, including Parmesan, Cheddar, Manchego, Pecorino Romano, and Swiss, are traditionally made with rennet, while some soft cheeses aren't (scroll down for five you can try). But increasingly, you can find all sorts of cheeses made with non-animal-derived enzymes.

The lemon juice, vinegar and citric acid can coagulate the milk without rennet but frequently work best with hot milk.

NOTE: Classic cheesemaking uses ingredients like citric acid and rennet. But white distilled vinegar works too! It turns out a little different but still amazing. If you would like to go the more classic route you can pick up a cheesemaking kit that has everything you need minus the dairy of course.

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.

Cold active proteases along with lipases can be used as rennet substitutes to accelerate the ripening of slow-ripening cheeses. Additionally, cold active proteases can find utility in the softening and taste development of frozen or refrigerated meat products.