Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of producing a cheese-like dairy product, characterized by adding at least 10 wt %, relative to the starting material milk, of water containing Paenibacillus sp. bacteria or water that has been treated with immobilized cells of Paenibacillus sp. Bacteria into starting material milk, followed by maintaining at a prescribed temperature, separating off the curd thus formed, and performing productization with or without further maturing; a cheese-like dairy product thus produced; and a water purifier packed with a support having Paenibacillus sp. bacteria immobilized thereon and a filter medium as a packing material.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a milk-coagulating enzyme of bacterial origin and a process for producing cheese by using this enzyme, namely, an enzyme that is produced by a bacterium belonging to the genus Paenibacillus and exhibits milk-coagulating activity, characterized by having the following enzymological properties: 1) function: having an activity of coagulating milk to form a curd; 2) substrate specificity: acting on ?-casein as a substrate and specifically cleaving Thr94-Met95 in the presence of calcium; 3) optimum pH: 6.0-7.0, and 4) molecular weight: 35,000-37,000 Da when measured by SDS-PAGE; a process for producing the enzyme; a process for producing cheese; and a cheese-like food product.