Rennet for Cheese Making

FAQ's

General Questions
After the milk has been acidified, rennet is added. This causes
the proteins in the milk to form a curd and allows the liquid to
separate and run off as whey. The amount of rennet used in the
different cheeses varies because of specific cheese
requirements. Some need a firmer curd than others and some
need a longer time frame for coagulation. The curds for each
cheese are different.

 What is rennet?
Traditional animal rennet is an enzyme derived from the
stomachs of calves, lambs or goats before they consume
anything but milk. (Ours is all from calves.) It is about 90%
pure chymosin. Vegetable rennet is obtained from a type
of mold (Mucur Miehei). However, even though it is
derived from mold, there is no mold contained in the final
product. It is an equivalent chymosin product which works
equally well but is not animal derived. We have recently
added organic vegetable rennet to our catalog. Rennet
thrives at temperatures in the 85-105F range, but it won't
be deactivated completely until it reaches the 140F's.
Rennet continues working to set the milk as long as it has
the right conditions. So, when a recipe calls for cutting the
curds after a certain time period, it is important to follow
the directions. Otherwise, your curds may be too firm for
the cheese you are trying to make.

 How do I choose which rennet to use?

Rennet is standardized, so all the different kinds of rennet
(liquid, tablet or powder) work the same to set milk. Liquid
is the easiest to work with because you can measure it
very precisely. However, the powders and tablets will keep
better under more adverse conditions. Calf rennet is
considered to be the best choice for longer aged cheeses
because some of its residual components help to complete
the breakdown of proteins. Some of the more complex
proteins in the vegetable rennet can have a slightly bitter
taste after 6 months of aging. The liquid vegetable
rennet is Kosher, but it has been re-packaged without
Kosher supervision.

 How much salt is in rennet?

The amount of salt in rennet is miniscule. It is there as a
preservative. Considering that you add 1/4 teaspoon of
rennet to a gallon of milk and that much of the rennet runs
off with the whey during draining, the amount of salt left
in the cheese is virtually impossible to measure. If you are
interested in making cheese with no salt, the fresh
cheeses, Mozzarella and Ricotta are best suited for this.
The aged cheeses require a slight amount of salt to sow
bacterial activity.

Can I use junket tablets as a substitute for

rennet?

No. Cheese rennet is 80% chymosin and 20% pepsin.

Junket is 80% pepsin, so it is much weaker than cheese
rennet. Even if you use more of it to compensate for this,
there is so much pepsin in junket that it increases protein
breakdown to the point where there are problems when
the cheese ages. Junket was made for custards. If you read
the label, you will see that there are many additives in it.
In spite of this, and despite the price of junket (not
inexpensive), there are many recipes online for making
cheese with junket. We think this originated when supplies
were hard to find for home cheese making. Now that they
are widely available, there is less reason to use junket.

Can I make my own rennet?

Making calf rennet used to be handed down from
generation to generation. Cheese makers knew what to
expect from this process. Today, some folks do make their
own rennet, but the problem is figuring out how much to
add to their cheese. It can take them many years to
standardize the process. Some people also make their own
vegetable rennet from the juice of nettles, figs, etc. (See
our blog articles, Making Rennet From Fig Sap and More
About Fig Sap Rennet) This seems to work for sheep's
milk and soft cheeses, but not for the aged, hard cheeses.
If you make your own rennet, you will not be able to sell
your cheese in the US, because regulations stipulate the
use of prepared, standardized rennet.

How do I test my rennet to see if it has

expired?
This is how we test our rennet: Heat one cup (8 oz) of milk
to 90F. (Do not add citric acid.) Dissolve 1/4 rennet tablet
(or 1/4 tsp. liquid rennet) in 1/2cup of cool, nonchlorinated water and stir well. From this diluted rennet
take 2 tablespoons and add it to the milk at 90F. Stir

gently from the bottom to the top for 30 seconds. If the

rennet is working, the milk surface will begin to firm or
form a slight film after two minutes. After six minutes, it
will have formed a curd that will hold a knife cut.

How long is my rennet good after I have

diluted it in water?
You have 1/2 hour until it begins to lose effectiveness.

Are any of your rennets genetically modified

(GMO)?
No. We have taken a strong stand against genetic
modification.

I am having trouble monitoring the temperature of the

milk after I add the rennet.
This should not be an issue, because after adding rennet,
you should not be adding any more heat (there may be a
few degrees of upward heat increase). Once the curds are
cut, you can begin to heat while stirring very slowly. At this
point, the heat will gradually transfer from the whey to the
curd. (We recommend stopping the heat a degree or two

before reaching the final temperature.) If you heat too

rapidly, there will be a big difference between the whey
and curd temperatures.

LIQUID RENNET

How long will liquid rennet keep in the

refrigerator?
Liquid rennet needs to be stored in the refrigerator. Animal
rennet will last up to one year, vegetable rennet will last 46 months, organic vegetable rennet will last 3-4 months.
After the suggest shelf life the strength will gradually drop.

Do I have to dilute it?

Liquid rennet should always be diluted in non-chlorinated
water before adding to your milk.

Do I always use less of the liquid vegetable

rennet?
Liquid vegetable rennet is double-strength, so you will
always need to use half as much as the recipe calls for.

RENNET TABLETS

How long will the tablets keep?

Our vegetable rennet tablets will last for at least 5 years, if
kept frozen. If they are not refrigerated, they will last at
least one year.

How do I cut the tablets?

To cut the tablets, you may use a pill cutter. Or, a quick
rap on the back of a sharp knife placed on the score marks
will usually work.

How do I convert the liquid amount to the

tablet amount?
The conversion is 1/4 teaspoon liquid rennet = 1/4
vegetable rennet tablet.

If my recipe calls for 1/8 tsp. or a few drops

of liquid rennet, how do I use my tablets?
If your recipe calls for 1/8 tsp. liquid, cut off 1/4 tablet,
dissolve it in 1/2 cup of non-chlorinated water, and then,
throw away half of it. If your recipe calls for only a few

drops of liquid rennet, it will be hard to convert this to the

tablets. The tablets are very difficult to measure in small
amounts like this. (This is why we include rennet in the
soft cheese cultures.) If you will be adding tiny amounts of
rennet, it is more convenient to use the liquid rennet.

POWDERED RENNET

How do I decide whether to use powdered

rennet or one of the other kinds?
We recommend using the powder when making larger
quantities of cheese. For one or two gallon batches, the
liquids or tablets are much easier to measure.

How do I store it?

Store in a cool, dry place, away from direct light. The ideal
storage temperature is 38 to 45F. Containers should be
kept closed.

Has this product been genetically modified?

No. None of our rennets have been genetically modified.
However, most commercial powdered rennets are GMO.

 How much powder do I use?

1/3 gram (approx. 1/16 tsp) will set 2 gallons of milk for a
'normal curd.' (It is a small amount because this rennet is
very concentrated.) Adjustments should be made for
softer or firmer curds. Under ideal storage, the preparation
displays excellent long term stability (less than 5% activity
loss in 12 months).Note: There is no storage potential
after hydration. It must be used immediately.