Chymosin

The major role of chymosin in cheese making is to cleave off the hydrophilic tails of the Kappa casein proteins that line the outside of the casein micelles, causing the micelles to coagulate into a 3D network - cheese curd.

Effect of chymosin on Kappa casein

• Proteolysis and aggregation of casein micelles treated with immobilized or soluble chymosin

Effect of chymosin on other caseins

Alpha-s1 casein

• Proteolysis of alpha-s1-casein by chymosin in dilute NaCl solutions and in cheddar cheese
• Proteolysis of αs1-casein by chymosin: influence of pH and urea
• Proteolytic specificity of chymosin on bovine αs1,-casein

Alpha-s2 casein

• Proteolysis of bovine αS2-casein by chymosin

Beta casein

• Proteolysis of bovine β-casein by chymosin: influence of pH, urea and sodium chloride