Q. 2- What is rennet and why it is haram ?
A. 1. Lecithin is any one of a group of fatty substances found in plant or animal tissues. Lecithins are obtained especially from egg yolk, soybeans, and corn. Lecithin is composed of nitrogen and phosphorus and is found especially in nerve cells and brain tissue. Lecithin should generally be avoided, but it should be stressed that soy lecithin is the most common type of lecithin used commercially in food products nowadays.
A. 2. Rennet is a substance containing rennin (an enzyme in the gastric juice that coagulates or curdles milk.), obtained from the stomach of a calf or other ruminant, used for curdling milk in making cheese and junket. Rennet should be avoided because it is extracted from animals which have not been slaughtered according to Islamic Law. However, if the source animal from which rennet was extracted was halal and slaughtered according to Islamic Law, then there is no problem.
