MILK-COAGULATING ENZYME ORIGINATING IN BACTERIUM AND PROCESS FOR PRODUCING CHEESE USING THE SAME

摘要

It is intended to provide a milk-coagulating enzyme originating in a bacterium and a process for producing cheese by using this enzyme. Namely, an enzyme which is produced by a bacterium belonging to the genus Paenibacillus sp. and has an activity of coagulating milk, characterized by having the following enzymological properties: (1) function: having an activity of coagulating milk to form a curd; (2) substrate specificity: acting on kappa-casein as a substrate and specifically cleaving Thr94-Met95 in the presence of calcium; (3) optimum pH: 6.0 to 7.0; and (4) molecular weight: 35,000 to 37,000 Da when measured by SDS-PAGE; a process for producing the enzyme; a process for producing cheese; and a cheese-like food product.