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Rennet for Home Cheese Making

The word rennet has come to generically represent a whole host of dairy coagulants. Fortunately there are many sources of coagulating enzymes available. These can come from both animal and non-animal sources. The rennets sold by Leeners are non-animal, microbial coagulants.

The active ingredient in rennet is the enzyme chymosin, also called rennin. Its function in cheesemaking is to act on the milk protein casein and break the molecular bond which allows the protein to stay attached to water molecules. In the terminology of chemistry, this process is referred to as cleavage.

Rennet FAQ's

Q. Why won’t the curds separate from the whey after I add rennet?

A1. Chlorine will deactivate the rennet. Make certain that all utensils are free of detergents and/or sanitizers. Use only distilled water when diluting your ingredients.

A2: Your milk is Ultra-Pasteurized.

A3: Your milk is not fresh enough or too close to the pull date.

Q: Can Junket rennet be used for making cheese?

We do not recommend using Junket brand rennet tablets in cheesemaking. This type of rennet is for making desserts because it contains other ingredients such as corn starch to form a gel. It is not the same form of the enzyme used for making cheese.

Note: 1/4 teaspoon of double strength liquid rennet = 1/2 rennet tablet

Microbial coagulant contains no animal products. We do not ship this product outside the U.S.A.!

This product contains no animal products. One quarter (1/4) teaspoon diluted in one quarter cup of distilled water will set 3 - 5 gallons of milk in about 45 minutes. You get 1 oz. in a spill proof dropper bottle or one pint (500ml) in an amber screw top bottle. Must be refrigerated and used within 5 months!

one microbial tablet will set 8 to 12 gallons of milk

Microbial coagulant contains for animal products

This product contains no animal products. Marschall milk coagulant tablets are enzymatic preparations specially designed to be used in small volume cheese making to coagulate milk and to produce cheese of excellent quality. Each tablet is uniform allowing tablets to be divided as needed for the most economical usage. One-half of a tablet will set 3 gallons of milk in approximately 45 minutes. Each tablet is individual wrapped and will keep in the freezer for three years. Available worldwide.