Hansen’s Technical Chemical Laboratory (which came to be known simply as Chr.
Hansen used his experience in chemistry and pharmacology to produce “an extract of high keeping quality, uniform strength, and free from the contaminating impurities characteristic of the – often foul – liquid of uncertain coagulating power produced by soaking the stomachs in whey in the dairy.” While there were various ways of extracting and preserving the rennet needed for cheesemaking, there was no standardization of the strength of the solution and the results were often unsanitary. The source of the rennet was normally calves that had not yet been weaned, and thus it was available only when a calf was slaughtered. Hansen also began working with rennet, which is produced in the fourth stomach of ruminants such as cows and is used in making cheese the rennet makes the milk coagulate so that the watery whey can be drained away, leaving the curds that become cheese. In 1873 he and a partner opened a small factory that made pepsin preparations for people suffering from digestive problems. Using vegetable rennet, animal rennet, or experimenting with homemade plant rennet is a personal choice.One of the topics of Hansen’s research at the University was digestive enzymes, including pepsin. What Will You Use?Ĭheese recipes usually call for either rennet or a specific acidic coagulant. Vegetable Rennet Tablets are about five times stronger than Junket tablets. It is possible to set milk with junket, but it should only really be used for soft cheeses because it just isn’t strong enough to set a firm curd.
Junket is just a very weak form of rennet, traditionally used to set custards. These coagulants are generally used in soft cheesemaking with long ripening periods such as Lemon Cheese, Traditional Whey Ricotta, and Queso Blanco JUNKET Lemon juice will curdle milk, as will vinegar, but neither will produce the clean, firm curd needed for quality cheesemaking, nor are they very strong or effective. Many products commonly found in your kitchen are good coagulants, as well.
We carry single-strength liquid animal rennet for home cheesemaking. The lactic acid then acts upon the milk’s proteins, getting them to clump together as solids (curds), and separate from the remaining liquid (whey).Īnimal coagulant is almost always calf rennet since it is generally accepted that calf rennet produces better-aged cheeses.
Rennet is essentially an enzyme used to convert milk sugars (lactose) into lactic acid. The most common coagulant throughout history is rennet, or rennin, the enzyme found in the stomach of young ruminants that have not been weaned from their mother’s milk. To learn about methods for adding rennet to milk, read our article, Techniques and Tips for Adding Ingredients in Cheesemaking.
Both animal- and vegetable-based rennets are available in liquid, powder, and tablet form, that work well for home cheesemaking. In liquid form, rennet is often double-strength, so make sure to read the label. Coagulant is a very important ingredient when making cheese.