Rennet and Cheese; Shredding Some Light
Written by: Alimah N.Baig
Authorized by Mufti Adam Koya and Mufti Abrar Koya
When reading ingredients of our favourite snacks, some people walk the other way upon seeing the word "cheddar." Others are a little more...cheesygoing. Some may have been told that Cheetos, Doritos or various other products that contain cheese ingredients are haram, because of a core ingredient known as rennet - but is this understanding a blanket response, or does it require further analysis?
As a key part of producing cheese, rennet is defined as “the inner lining of the fourth stomach [abomasum] of calves and other young ruminants,” or the extract derived therein (Yacoubou). The use of rennet in cheesemaking dates back thousands of years (Moschopoulou). For milk to curdle and coagulate, the rennin enzyme (also known as chymosin) found in rennet must break down proteins and initiate the cheese-making process. Rennet can vary in origin from animal, plant and microbial, to recombinant from GMOs, and can be produced as a paste, liquid, or powder (Addis et al.). As cheese products are a household staple and found everywhere in our grocery stores today, the worry surrounding rennet should be Islamically addressed so that Muslim consumers are more informed about their choices. So let’s cut to the cheese.
There are three different scenarios when considering where animal rennet is extracted from – a halal animal ritually slaughtered, a halal animal not ritually slaughtered, and a haram animal. According to the general consensus, cheese containing rennet from halal animals (such as cows, goats, and sheep) that are slaughtered according to Shariah guidelines is halal, while rennet that is extracted from haram animals (such as pigs, known as pepsin/porcine rennet) is haram (Mufti Ridha ul Haq 619-633). A difference in opinion stems from the second scenario of rennet from a halal animal that is NOT slaughtered in a halal way:
Imam Abu Hanifah رحمه الله says that rennet from this category is halal; as this is the preferred opinion of many early and later scholars, it is the standing fatwa of the Hanafi madhab (Mufti Ridha ul Haq 619-620).
Imam Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad رحمهما الله say that such rennet is not halal. According to them, the rennet becomes impure after the animal’s death by mixing with the liquids in the stomach (whereas Imam Abu Hanifah did not consider the liquids of the stomach impure upon death, so the rennet coming into contact did not necessitate contamination) (Kholwadia).
Some retract from Imam Abu Hanifah’s fatwa and say the older method for harvesting rennet was different. Traditionally the fourth stomachs (abomasa) would be cleaned, drained, and dried, and then sliced up; these strips would be placed in varying salt solutions, and eventually the mixture would be filtered, thereby extracting the enzyme naturally (Khetra and Kanawjia; O'Connor 6). As there were no impurities involved with the flesh of the animal's stomach they needed to extract from, the rennet was halal.
The modern and commercial method for rennet extraction involves grinding the entire stomach, and then chemically separating rennet from the other parts (Moschopoulou; Addis et al.). Now, impurities are mixed, so two main opinions come about because of this:
There's an element of doubt (شك), so the cautionary approach would be to refrain from it.
Because a total separation happens when the rennet is taken out, it is still halal and pure, considering the end result. Darul Qasim’s research concludes that rigorous filtering ensures “tissues from the animal’s stomach are not present in the [final] rennet product” (Kholwadia). Some also explain this in terms of quantity, which proves an insignificant amount of impure substance mixed with pure substance, and therefore negligible (Qadhi). The task of coagulation seems to be successful with a ratio of one to fifteen thousand, “1 part enzyme to 15,000 parts milk” (Arding and Khosrova).
Due to increased worldwide demand, kosher certifications, vegetarian support, and concerns for animal rights, the supply for rennet has transitioned to other sources like plants, microbes, and genetically modified or fermentation-produced chymosin. When rennet is made from non-animal enzymes, it is 100% halal (Kholwadia). Studies show that 90% of the cheese made in the United States today uses fermentation-produced chymosin, and that 95% of all cheese is from non-animal rennet (XiaoZhi and Entine; Kholwadia).
As consumers, how do we figure out where rennet comes from? A simple phone call or email inquiry to manufacturers usually does the trick. The Frito-Lay® website has a listing for products in the section "US Products Made Without Pork (Porcine) Enzymes.” Black Diamond® cheese products are mostly made from microbial enzymes (as per their website), unless rennet is explicitly listed in the ingredients, in which case they might contain calf rennet.
The ruling for ingredients such as whey and modified milk ingredients (mmi) will follow the ruling of rennet, as they also depend on its source.
The following chart, sourced from Fatawa Darul Uloom Zakariyya, summarizes the topic:
*Addition (not in Fatawa Darul Uloom Zakariya): There would be a difference of opinion among contemporary Hanafis as the method of extracting rennet has changed
**This is also the opinion of Imam Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad رحمهما الله
The conclusion? To consider animal rennet halal, verify that it is not from a haram animal, and then eat as per the fatwa, or don't, out of ihtiyaat (caution).
Sources Cited:
Mufti Ridha ul Haq. “The Ruling on Eating Cheese.” Fatawa Darul Uloom Zakariyya, edited by Muhammad Ilyas Shaykh, vol. 6, Zam Zam Publishers, Karachi, 2013, pp. 619–633.
Moschopoulou, Ekaterini. “Characteristics of Rennet and Other Enzymes from Small Ruminants Used in Cheese Production.” Small Ruminant Research, vol. 101, no. 1–3, Nov. 2011, pp. 188–195, doi:10.1016/j.smallrumres.2011.09.039.
Yacoubou, Jeanne. “An Update on Rennet.” The Vegetarian Resource Group, Vegetarian Journal, 2008, https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2008issue3/2008_issue3_update_renet.php.
Qadhi, Dr. Yasir. “Of Mice and Men – The Cheese Factor.” MuslimMatters, 22 Apr. 2019, https://muslimmatters.org/2007/07/09/of-mice-and-men-the-cheese-factor/.
Kholwadia, Shaykh Mohammed Amin, and Rafiq Faiz. “Fatwā on Rennet.” Darul Qasim College, Darul Qasim, 18 Dec. 2018, https://darulqasim.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Rennet-Final.pdf.
Khetra, Yogesh, and S. K. Kanawjia. “CALF RENNET: PREPARATION AND PROPERTIES.” Cheese Technology: Lesson 14. CALF RENNET: PREPARATION AND PROPERTIES, 20 Sept. 2012, http://ecoursesonline.iasri.res.in/mod/page/view.php?id=147314.
O'Connor, C. “Enzyme Coagulants.” Traditional Cheesemaking Manual, International Livestock Centre for Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 1993, pp. 6–6.
XiaoZhi , Lim, and Jon Entine. “Cheese: The GMO Food Die-Hard GMO Opponents Love, but Don't Want to Label.” Genetic Literacy Project, 20 Aug. 2022, https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2018/11/02/cheese-gmo-food-die-hard-gmo-opponents-love-and-oppose-a-label-for/.
Addis, M., et al. “The Use of Lamb Rennet Paste in Traditional Sheep Milk Cheese Production.” Small Ruminant Research, vol. 79, no. 1, Sept. 2008, pp. 2–10, doi:10.1016/j.smallrumres.2008.07.002.
Arding , Kate, and Elaine Khosrova . “Rennet's Role.” Culture: the Word on Cheese, 20 Aug. 2015, https://culturecheesemag.com/cheese-iq/rennets-role/.
“U.S. Products Made Without Pork (Porcine) Enzymes.” Fritolay.com, 15 Sept. 2022, https://www.fritolay.com/dietary-needs/no-pork-enzymes/us-products-made-without-pork-porcine-enzymes.
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