enzyme
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Also known as: chymosin
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
rennin, protein-digesting enzyme that curdles milk by transforming caseinogen into insoluble casein; it is found only in the fourth stomach of cud-chewing animals, such as cows. Its action extends the period in which milk is retained in the stomach of the young animal. In animals that lack rennin, milk is coagulated by the action of pepsin as is the case in humans. A commercial form of rennin, rennet, is used in manufacturing cheese and preparing junket.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Michele Metych.
