All right, to make cheese you need enzymes and/or rennent. Rennent comes from a pig or cow's stomach.

Now, are ALL enzymes of microbial sources?

5/25/2006 1:04:42 AM

google.com

wikipedia.org

5/25/2006 1:10:55 AM

NO. There are enzymes in your mouth (salvary amalase) that are not of microbial sources, so far as I know.

I know this because my AP biology teacher used to say if you have no game you could tell a girl that you want swap salvary amalase.

5/25/2006 1:41:17 AM

Oh, sorry, I meant the enzymes IN the cheese... I ask this because I can't have anything that comes from a pig or hog. So I look for a Kosher sign, but because a lot of them are imported, they can't receive Kosher certification. I'm trying to figure out whether I'll be safe if I assumed all the enzymes in the cheese are always the kind of microbial sources.

5/25/2006 2:04:17 AM

nm

[Edited on May 25, 2006 at 2:44 AM. Reason : pick a different religion]

5/25/2006 2:43:49 AM

Alton's show was just about cheese!!!

5/25/2006 2:57:47 AM

ummmm yeah, technically the cheese is made from the enzymes of the bacteria in the gut of said animals.... however small bits of gut usually end up in the cheese... (very small, cell clumps at best)

[Edited on May 25, 2006 at 8:52 AM. Reason : 3]

5/25/2006 8:52:13 AM

I don't know what you guy's sources are but according to Microbiology lab w/keen your basic cheese is made when lactose fermenting bacteria release lactic acid into the milk causing it to curdle. Much the same way yogurt is made.

5/25/2006 10:13:06 AM

yes

i do believe either the cheese industry has done a good job of hiding this fact (the pig tummy thing)

or you are misled

but either way

i don't eat much cheese
but i love it when i do

5/25/2006 10:31:23 AM

The rennet is usually made from the dried gastic juices of cows. Porcine rennet is not normally used. Packhockey is correct that lactic acid bacteria play a role. Sometime producers just use an acid addition directly. Depends on the type of cheese and the producer.

5/25/2006 10:41:30 AM

the reasoning for you not having anything from a pig or a cow was probably for health reasons back when it was warranted - they are no longer warranted and thus a ridiculous thing to uphold

5/25/2006 10:43:29 AM

oh here we go

lets not answer the guy's question

instead lets just bash his religion

gg, thats not stereotypical in any way

5/25/2006 11:08:01 AM

we're trying to mix science and religion here, this thread gets two thumbs down.

5/25/2006 11:12:00 AM

saccharomyces cerevisiae!

5/25/2006 12:01:17 PM

Quote :

"the reasoning for you not having anything from a pig or a cow was probably for health reasons back when it was warranted - they are no longer warranted and thus a ridiculous thing to uphold"

Islam doesn't allow for modifications of the rules/guidelines/requirements, just to suit changing times. Even if it did, I imagine that most pious Muslims would seek their imam's opinion on issues like this.


Let's fault the guy for being pious, why don't we?

5/25/2006 12:53:13 PM

curd formation is promoted by the addition of rennet, but this step is not included in soft, unripened cheeses such as cottage cheese or cream cheese.

if you are worried about whether or not calf rennet was used in the process, i would eat these cheeses instead, or visit some place like whole foods which i would guess would market their "vegetarian" cheeses as such

5/25/2006 7:32:16 PM

what religion are you?

5/25/2006 7:44:54 PM

Ambrosia1231... thanks for the backup. I did ask my Imam, and he said it would be OK to eat non-Kosher cheeses because the enzymes are more or less purified so their source becomes ambiguous. However, I'm Orthodox when it comes to what I eat so I'm not going to make any assumptions.


Smath, I'm Muslim, and our diet is comparable to the Jewish diet minus the alcohol. So whenever I buy any food, I always make sure it's Kosher unless it's fresh fruit (and in that case the waxing on the veggies and fruits ARE certified Kosher).


I asked a guy at WHole Foods who works in the cheese section... he said "anytime you see 'enzymes' listed in the ingredients, they are always microbial. But rennet is usually from young cow stomachs." So, that means I could buy any cheese w/o rennet and assume it's OK.

I would REALLY appreciate it if a food scientist can back this up.

5/25/2006 11:21:53 PM

calf rennet is still a protease (enzyme that works on proteins), so i'm not sure if what he said was correct.

fungal proteases are used as the microbial alternative

i googled "vegetarian cheese" and found tons of websites that list brands of cheese you could eat

try: http://cheese.joyousliving.com/

(how about a bioprocess engineer instead?)

[Edited on May 25, 2006 at 11:34 PM. Reason : bp]

5/25/2006 11:33:51 PM

"rennin" is the clotting enzyme found in rennet. most commercial dairies use rennin produced by bacterial recombinant dna techniques. most vegetarian rennet is derived from a mold, but artichokes are a natural coagulant that has been used in cheesemaking since ancient times. if you want to know how rennet works, read this. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rennet

[Edited on May 25, 2006 at 11:39 PM. Reason : "enzymes"= bacterial product, "rennet" = stomach, "rennin" can go either way ]

5/25/2006 11:38:02 PM

to make cheese you need a bacterial species known as w

5/25/2006 11:40:05 PM

Quote :

"ummmm yeah, technically the cheese is made from the enzymes of the bacteria in the gut of said animals.... however small bits of gut usually end up in the cheese... (very small, cell clumps at best)"

^^(something) yeah more advanced techniques make it pretty kosher i would venture

[Edited on May 26, 2006 at 3:24 AM. Reason : 3]

5/26/2006 3:23:16 AM

i'm amazed i never knew this

learn something new erryday yo

5/26/2006 3:27:05 AM

Quote :

"lets just bash his religion"

bwhahahah...religion and cheese.

5/26/2006 3:32:58 AM

i blame chee....wait a tic
this seems familiar

5/26/2006 3:35:08 AM