Traditional method of making cheese - Info about Animal Rennet (or Rennant)

My daughter recently purchased a gourmet French Goat Cheese and called me up when she noticed on the label that it contained animal rennet. "What's animal rennet", she asked. Good question. Animal "rennet" or as it is also known by, "rennant", are enzymes extracted from the fourth stomach of a slaughtered, newborn calf. Rennet coagulates the milk causing it to separate into solids (curds) and liquids (whey). The main enzyme is called chymosin.

The use of animal rennet is the traditional method of making cheese and has been used for centuries. There are now alternative means to cultivate the coagulation process such as producing vegetable rennet from plants, microbial rennet from bacteria molds, genetically engineered rennet, using calf-genes, and acid coagulation such as citric acid, which is used to produce cheap mozzarella cheese. If you are a gourmet cook and like to use European cheeses, keep in mind that the use of animal rennet is still the common method of manufacturing cheese.

If you are a vegetarian or animal welfare activist, you will need to do your research on what brands use alternative means to cultivate cheese. Target brand "Market Pantry" uses vegetable enzymes. Organic Valley and Horizon Organic Cheese use microbial enzymes. Kraft sharp and extra sharp cheeses do contain animal rennet.

There is a textbook entitled, "Food Biotechnology in Ethical Perspective", authored by Paul B. Thompson. He states that recombinant rennant has received no resistance from food safety or animal welfare organizations.

I wonder just how many people really know that most of the cheese they have been eating for several years was produced not only by the use of milk but by slaughtering baby calves to obtain enzymes from their fourth stomach to coagulate that milk! Check your labels!