[ noun ] a substance that curdles milk in making cheese and junket <noun.substance>
Rennet \Ren"net\ (r?n"n?t), n. [F. rainette, reinette, perhaps fr. raine a tree frog, L. rana, because it is spotted like this kind of frog. Cf. {Ranunculus}.] (Bot.) A name of many different kinds of apples. Cf. {Reinette}. --Mortimer.
Rennet \Ren"net\, n. [AS. rinnan, rennan, to run, cf. gerinnan to curdle, coagulate. [root]11. See {Run}, v.] 1. The inner, or mucous, membrane of the fourth stomach of the calf, or other young ruminant.
2. an infusion or preparation of the calf stomach lining, used for coagulating milk. The active principle in this coagulating action is the enzyme {rennin}. [Written also {runnet}.] [1913 Webster +PJC]
{Cheese rennet}. (Bot.) See under {Cheese}.
{Rennet ferment} (Physiol. Chem.), the enzyme {rennin}, present in rennet and in variable quantity in the gastric juice of most animals, which has the power of curdling milk. The enzyme presumably acts by changing the casein of milk from a soluble to an insoluble form.
{Rennet stomach} (Anat.), the fourth stomach, or abomasum, of ruminants. [1913 Webster +PJC]
'Originally,' Mr Hansen says, 'we put production in almost every market, since transportation of rennet was a problem.