Chymosin, or rennin, is an aspartic protease enzyme found in the stomach lining of young mammals, crucial for curdling milk to enhance nutrient absorption. It is widely used in cheese-making to catalyze the hydrolysis of casein, causing milk to clot. Modern production often utilizes recombinant DNA technology via microorganisms.
Key Aspects of Chymosin:
Biological Function: Produced in the abomasum (stomach) of nursing ruminants to curdle milk, allowing longer retention for digestion.
Cheese-Making Role: It splits casein, destabilizing casein micelles, which forms a solid, curdy gel.
Source: Traditionally extracted from calf rennet, it is now primarily produced through fermentation using genetically modified microorganisms like Trichoderma reesei.
Activation: Secreted as an inactive proenzyme called pro-chymosin, activated by stomach acid.
Properties: Functions best in acidic environments (pH 5.3–6.3), is a yellowish powder/liquid, and is sensitive to ultraviolet light.
Alternative Name: Rennet is the crude mixture, while chymosin is the specific active protease
Everything You Need to Know
What is the function of chymosin?
Chymosin, known also as rennin, is a proteolytic enzyme related to pepsin that is synthesized by chief cells in the stomach of some animals. Its role in digestion is to curdle or coagulate milk in the stomach, a process of considerable importance in the very young animal.
Is chymosin safe?
Based on the data provided and the derived margin of exposure, the Panel concluded that the food enzyme chymosin produced with the genetically modified T. reesei DP-Nyj88 does not give rise to safety concerns under the intended conditions of use.
What is the difference between chymosin and rennin?
Chymosin, also known as rennin, a milk-clotting enzyme obtained from the stomach of calves, is used in the manufacture of cheese. The production of this enzyme by recombinant DNA technology is now becoming possible.
Do humans have chymosin?
Chymosin is expressed in a number of mammalian offspring, yet its presence in the gastric tissue of human infants remains a matter of controversy. In any event, the human genome contains chymosin-related sequences that probably represent a pseudogen
