Crossword Genius

As nice as important constituent of cheese (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

casein

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'constituent of cheese' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both man-made objects as well as being singular nouns.
Maybe you can see a link between them that I can't see?

'as nice as important' is the wordplay.
'as nice' can be anagrammed to 'CASEIN'.
But, I am not sure how this is indicated.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for casein that I've seen before include "What's to be found in milk" , "something for cheese-making" , "It helps to make cheese" , "Protein in milk and cheese" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish News.
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