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Max German

Lab-made cheese enzymes are widespread and unlabeled, with safety based on limited animal studies.

The use of genetically engineered enzymes in cheese is well-documented, though long-term safety data and labeling transparency remain limited.

We checked the science

our breakdown of the video

10 claims, each mapped to its moment in the video

Scientists can make rennet, an enzyme used in cheese-making, by putting a cow gene into bacteria and growing those bacteria in big tanks to produce the enzyme.

Not enough evidence yet — take this with caution.

Rennet cuts a protein on milk's tiny particles, making them clump together and turn into cheese curds.

Weak evidence — fewer than 20 studies, so treat this as a starting point, not a fact.

For thousands of years, the key ingredient that turns milk into cheese has come from the stomachs of baby calves.

Weak evidence — fewer than 20 studies, so treat this as a starting point, not a fact.

If a lab-made protein is almost exactly like one found in nature, experts might say it’s safe enough that it doesn’t need extra testing.

Weak evidence — fewer than 20 studies, so treat this as a starting point, not a fact.

They approved a lab-made enzyme used in cheese-making after only short animal tests, and those studies weren't shared in scientific journals for others to check.

Not enough evidence yet — take this with caution.

Most cheese in the U.S. is made using enzymes from lab-altered microbes, but because the final enzyme is purified, it doesn’t count as a GMO and doesn’t need a GMO label.

Weak evidence — fewer than 20 studies, so treat this as a starting point, not a fact.

After making enzymes with GMO microbes, the cleanup process can remove all the GMOs, so the final product might not need a GMO label.

Not enough evidence yet — take this with caution.

Some fungus used in making enzymes for industry can also make a harmful substance that might cause cancer in people.

Weak evidence — fewer than 20 studies, so treat this as a starting point, not a fact.

We don’t have a standard test to prove that all traces of GMO germs or their genetic leftovers are completely gone from the purified enzymes used to make cheese in factories.

Weak evidence — fewer than 20 studies, so treat this as a starting point, not a fact.

When mice are given ochratoxin A by mouth, it harms their liver and kidneys more the higher the dose, and the damage includes two types of cell death — one sudden and messy, the other controlled and programmed.

Weak evidence — fewer than 20 studies, so treat this as a starting point, not a fact.

Key Takeaways

Summary

Based on the video transcript only.

  1. 1Problem: Most cheese is made using an enzyme called rennet to turn milk into cheese, which traditionally came from the stomachs of young calves, but animal welfare concerns reduced its supply.
  2. 2Core methods: Genetically engineered rennet made from E. coli bacteria and Aspergillus niger fungus, both modified to produce chymosin, the key cheese-making enzyme.
  3. 3How methods work: Scientists take the gene from a calf that makes rennet, insert it into bacteria or fungus, grow it in big fermentation tanks, and then filter out the enzyme to use in cheese-making.
  4. 4Expected outcomes: Most cheese in the U.S. now uses this lab-made rennet, but it’s not labeled as GMO because the final product is purified, so consumers don’t know they’re eating it.
  5. 5Implementation timeframe: This process began in the late 1980s and became widespread within 10 years, with 90% of U.S. cheese using it by the 2000s.

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