chymosin

Thân thiện

A scientist adds chymosin to a beaker of warm milk.

Definition

Noun: 1. An enzyme found in gastric juice: Chymosin is a specific enzyme produced in the stomach, primarily in young mammals. 2. A substance that causes milk coagulation: Its primary biological function is to curdle or coagulate milk, which is a crucial step in digestion and in the cheesemaking process.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Chymosin is essential for the digestion of milk in infants.
  • Traditional cheesemaking often relies on chymosin to form curds.
  • Scientists study the properties of chymosin to improve food production techniques.

Advanced Usage

• Technical/Industrial Context: In biotechnology, chymosin produced by microbial fermentation is widely used as a vegetarian rennet substitute in the dairy industry.
  • Most commercial cheese is now made using fermentation-produced chymosin.

Variants and Related Words

• Rennin: This is a former common name for chymosin. While "rennin" is still used, "chymosin" is the more precise, modern scientific term.
• Rennet: A complex substance containing chymosin (and other enzymes like pepsin) used to coagulate milk. Chymosin is the key active enzyme in traditional animal rennet.

Synonyms

• Rennin (archaic/alternative term)
• Milk-clotting enzyme (descriptive synonym)

Related Phrases/Compounds

• Chymosin enzyme: A redundant but sometimes used phrase emphasizing its nature as an enzyme.
• Microbial chymosin: Refers to chymosin produced by genetically modified microorganisms for use in food processing.

Học thuật

Noun

1. an enzyme that occurs in gastric juice; causes milk to coagulate

Từ đồng nghĩa

• rennin