Advances in research on calf rennet substitutes and their effects on cheese quality

Xiaofeng Liu; Yuanfeng Wu; Rongfa Guan; Guochao Jia; YuChen Ma; Yao Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2021.110704

Advances in research on calf rennet substitutes and their effects on cheese quality

Food Res Int. 2021 Nov:149:110704. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2021.110704. Epub 2021 Sep 15.

Authors

Xiaofeng Liu¹, Yuanfeng Wu², Rongfa Guan³, Guochao Jia⁴, YuChen Ma², Yao Zhang⁵

Affiliations

¹ College of Food Science and Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology, Zhejiang, Hangzhou 310014, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Lab for Chem and Bio Processing Technology of Farm Produces, School of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Zhejiang, Hangzhou 310023, China.
² Zhejiang Provincial Key Lab for Chem and Bio Processing Technology of Farm Produces, School of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Zhejiang, Hangzhou 310023, China.
³ College of Food Science and Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology, Zhejiang, Hangzhou 310014, China.
⁴ School of Chemical Engineering and Food Science, Zhengzhou University of Technology, Henan, Zhengzhou 450044, China.
⁵ Zhejiang Provincial Key Lab for Chem and Bio Processing Technology of Farm Produces, School of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Zhejiang, Hangzhou 310023, China. Electronic address: zhangyao@zust.edu.cn.

PMID: 34600696
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2021.110704

Abstract

Milk coagulation is an important step in cheese production, and milk-clotting enzymes (MCEs) play a major role in this process. Calf rennet is the most widely used MCE in the cheese industry. The use of calf rennet substitutes is becoming necessary due to the limited availability of calf rennet and the increase in cheese consumption. The objective of this review is to summarize the latest findings on calf rennet substitutes (animal MCEs, plant-derived MCEs, recombinant MCEs and microbial MCEs) and their application in cheese production. Special emphasis has been placed on aspects of the effects of these substitutes on hydrolysis, functional peptides, cheese variety and cheese yield. The advantages and disadvantages of different calf rennet substitutes are discussed, in which microbial MCEs have the advantages of less expensive production, greater biochemical diversity, easier genetic modification, etc. In particular, some of these MCEs have suitable characteristics for cheese production and are considered to be the most potential calf rennet substitutes. Moreover, challenges and future perspectives are presented to provide inspiration for the development of excellent calf rennet substitutes.

Keywords: Calf rennet substitutes; Cheese quality; Functional peptides; Milk-clotting enzyme; Molecular modification.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Cheese*
Chymosin
Hydrolysis
Milk

Substances

rennet
Chymosin