Records for the making of rennet goes back to the 16th century. The farmer or small-holder cheese maker would select and slaughter a milk-fed calf, remove and wash the fourth stomach carefully. He would then hang this out to air-dry in which case it would become known as a 'vell'. There was a regular market for dried vells. It is difficult to ascertain how these vells were first used in traditional farmhouse cheese making in Scotland or elsewhere. However, it is most likely that dried pieces of vells were added directly to the milk, and at later times vell extracts in salt solution were used. Basically, sliced or macerated vells were soaked in salty water to provide a solution of enzymes. Filtration may have been used for the purification of the final rennet solution. Storing the rennet in a salt solution keeps it in good condition and suppresses anybacteria that might cause a deterioration in quality. Such rennet are known as 'calf rennet'.

Rennet is very strong in action (1 part of commercial rennet can coagulate 5000 parts of milk) and today rennet supplies are meticulously monitored. The main suppliers are Chr. Hansen's of Denmark and Rhone Poulenc of France. The British firm of R.J. Fullwood & Bland Limited of Ellesmere in Shropshire (who manufactured non synthetic annatto and rennet for over 200 years) no longer supply it, as their core business is now the manufacture and installation of milking machines and associated products.

Another form of rennet is called 'vegetable' rennet which is derived from certain strains of fungi and bacteria. Today, this type of rennet is very popular, reflecting a move towards organic foods,and the manufacture of 'vegetarian cheese'. Substantial amounts are now used at farmhouse and creamery level. Recently. Due to world shortage of calf rennet, recombinant or genetically engineered pure chymosin derived from different microorganisms is available on the market, andis currently used by many cheese makers in different countries.

Last Modified: Sunday, 11-Jan-2009 22:21:57 EST
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