Myth vs. Fact

Myth: Rennet Only Matters During Coagulation

Short answer

Fact: in cheeses that are held or aged, residual coagulant stays in the curd and participates in protein breakdown throughout ripening. Its influence does not end when the curd is cut.

By Bixa Products, Editorial teamUpdated June 14, 20263 min readReviewed by Luis

For fresh cheese eaten within days, the coagulant's work is essentially done at the vat. For a pressed cheese held for weeks or months, it is not — which is why dosage discipline is more consequential in aged styles.

Coagulation is never controlled by one variable. Milk composition, temperature, pH, calcium, the cheese style and your process conditions all shape how the curd forms — the coagulant is one input among several.

About the author

Bixa Products — Editorial team

Educational content written by the Bixa Products team, a family-owned cheesemaking ingredient company specializing in rennet and chymosin. Technical guidance is written conservatively: where a value depends on your milk, process or product, we say so instead of guessing for you.

Family-owned cheesemaking ingredient company
30+ years in the Latin American cheesemaking market
Specialists in rennet, chymosin and milk coagulation

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