From: altar@beaufort.sfu.ca (Ted Wayn Altar)
Subject: Re: seeking info: cheddar cheese without rennet
Organization: Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada
Distribution: usa
Date: Sun, 27 Dec 1992 20:58:32 GMT

Indira Subramanian writes:

>I notice that packaged cheese such as Kraft specify "cheese culture"
>as one of the ingredients. I am certain that cheese culture must be
>an euphemism for rennet/rennin.

>I am a lacto vegetarian and I have been eating mostly cheddar (Kraft "light 
>naturals"). Unfortunately, I learnt about rennet only recently. Now, I simply 
>can't get myself to eat cheese without being 100% certain that it uses a 
>vegetarian type culture (not killed-animal based) and absolutely NOT rennet. 
>The only animal foods I consume are milk and cheese.
[...]


The majority of cheeses use a coagulating enzyme, "rennet"
(sometimes called "rennin") that sometimes comes from pigs, but
mostly from the stomach of calves.

There are, however, now available some "microbial enzymes"
produced from a cultured stain of bacteria that digests protein.
It is neither animal nor vegetable, but in a class by itself.  It
is sometimes referred to as "vegetables enzymes" or "vegetable
rennet".  This latter term is a sloppy oxymoron since by
definition "rennet" comes from animals.

If a company is using a microbial enzyme it will probably state
specifically "VEGETABLE ENZYMES" or "VEGETABLE RENNET".

If, however, the label simply says "ENZYMES" one regretfully
cannot assume that a microbial enzyme was used.  Most likely it
will be an animal enzyme.  Other terms to look out for include
"chymosin" or "rennase".

Even some cottage cheese and sour creme products contain rennet.

I hope this helps.

                                    Happy Holiday Season,
                                            ted


P.S. The following is a letter from Ellen Sschwarzbck of Kraft:

    Thank you very much for asking if Kraft cheese products
    contain any animal derivates.  our comments here apply only
    to products produced in the U.S.  Many cheese products
    produced in the US do contain a coagulating enzyme derived
    from either beef or swine.  The process of changing fluid
    milk into cheese consists of coagulating the milk by one of
    two commonly used methods, each resulting in cheese having
    distinct characteristics.
    
    The most common method of coagulating milk is by the use of
    an enzyme preparation, rennet, which traditionally was made
    form the stomachs of veal calves.  Since the consumption of
    calves for veal has not kept pace with the demand for rennet
    in the preparation of cheese, a distinct shortage of this
    enzyme has developed.  Consequently, a few years ago it
    became a common practice to mix the rennet extract from
    calves' stomachs with a pepsin enzyme derived primarily from
    he stomachs of swine.  these enzymes convert the fluid milk
    into a semi-solid mass as one of the steps in the manufacture
    of cheese.  This mixture of calf rennet and pepsin extract is
    quite commonly and widely used within the U.S.
    
    A more recent development in this area has been the use of
    enzymes derived from he growth of pure cultures of certain
    molds.  These are termed microbial rennets.  They are
    commonly used for the production of certain types of cheese
    and contain no animal products.  Kraft Domestic Swiss Cheese
    (any Kraft Swiss not labeled "imported" from a foreign
    country) is made with microbial rennet.  Apart from Kraft
    Domestic Swiss Cheese, it is almost impossible for us to
    assure you that any hard cheese product which you might
    purchase from Kraft or any other American source is
    absolutely free of animal-derived enzymes.
    
    The other method of coagulating milk is the result of a
    growth of pure cultures of bacteria in the milk and the
    development of lactic acid.  These cheeses have distinctly
    different characteristics from those produced using the
    coagulating enzymes.  Our creme cheese products under the
    PHILADELPHIA BRAND name (brick, whipped and soft varieties)
    and Kraft Neufchatel Cheese fall into this category.  Kraft
    does not use coagulating enzymes in cheese of this type, but
    we cannot be sure what other manufacturers may use.  Our
    process cheese and process cheese products are made by
    grinding and blending.  With the aid of heat, cheese is made
    by either one of the two methods of coagulating mentioned
    above.  Therefore, it is impossible for us to assure you that
    a given American-made process cheese product is free of
    animal-derived enzymes including pepsin and/or rennet.
        [Ellen Schwarzback, of Consumer Service Dept. of Kraft
        General Foods, Inc.]