| These days, it's getting simple to find vegetarian | | | | micro-organism which can then be cultured to |
| dishes, even vegan, substitutes to products like | | | | produce viable quantities of chymosin. This is by |
| burgers, milks, and sausage, and now even | | | | means of taking out genetic material from calf a |
| cheeses are available in vegetarian and vegan | | | | stomach cell which acts as a template for |
| varieties. A lot of vegetarians don't consider that | | | | producing the chymosin encoding DNA. This can |
| some of the cheeses they are eating could | | | | now then be introduced into the micro-organism. |
| actually contain unfamiliar animal ingredients. That's | | | | As the genetic material is introduced there is no |
| right cheese, a common staple in many healthful | | | | further need for calf cells. Then again, the |
| vegetarian diets, is often made with rennet or | | | | chymosin encoding DNA can be bio-synthesised in |
| rennin, which is used to coagulate the dairy | | | | the laboratory without the use of calf cells. |
| product. | | | | The chymosin produced is the same to that |
| A vital ingredient in the production of most | | | | produced by calf stomach cells. The development |
| commercial cheeses is an enzyme that comes | | | | of genetically engineered chymosin has been |
| from the lining of the stomach of calves, called | | | | encouraged by deficiency and fluctuations in cost |
| rennet. At times an enzyme from pigs is also | | | | of rennet from calves. Its manufacturers claim |
| used. Clearly, this is of concern to vegetarians, | | | | that genetically engineered chymosin will stop the |
| since these are products that came from | | | | cheese making industry's reliance on the slaughter |
| slaughtered animals. According to the American | | | | of calves. |
| Heritage Dictionary, `rennet' is in fact the lining of | | | | Chymosin encoding DNA has been introduced into |
| the fourth stomach of calves and other young | | | | three dissimilar micro-organisms. It includes the |
| ruminants, but this term is also used to refer to | | | | yeast Kluyveromyces lactis, the fungus Aspergillus |
| the enzyme that is removed from the stomach | | | | niger var awamori, and a strain of the bacteria |
| of lining for use in making cheese. 'Rennin' is | | | | Escherichia coli. There is no legal condition for |
| another term for this enzyme, although it is less | | | | manufacturers to state whether genetically |
| usually used. These enzymes are essential | | | | engineered rennet has been used in the cheese |
| because they are the ingredients that cause milk | | | | making process. |
| to coagulate and in the long run become cheese. | | | | Vegetarian cheeses are now usually available in |
| Now, there is no way that vegetarians cannot | | | | supermarkets, grocery stores and health food |
| enjoy eating cheese because there is an | | | | stores. A large variety of cheeses are now made |
| alternative for it, the vegetarian cheeses that are | | | | with non-animal rennet and labeled as suitable for |
| made with rennet of non-animal origin. Advances | | | | vegetarians. No particular type of cheese is totally |
| in genetic engineering techniques mean that a few | | | | vegetarian. So include cheese to your vegetarian |
| vegetarian cheeses may now be made using | | | | diet plans! |
| chymosin produced by genetically engineered | | | | Enjoy becoming a vegetarian! |
| micro-organisms. The genetic material (DNA) | | | | Happy eating! |
| which encodes for chymosin is introduced into a | | | | |