diff --git a/module_build_service/utils/submit.py b/module_build_service/utils/submit.py
index 9ca864e9..be3bcfd5 100644
--- a/module_build_service/utils/submit.py
+++ b/module_build_service/utils/submit.py
@@ -100,13 +100,11 @@ def format_mmd(mmd, scmurl, session=None):
         else:
             xmd['mbs']['commit'] = scm.get_latest()
 
-    rpm_components = mmd.get_rpm_components()
-    module_components = mmd.get_module_components()
-    if rpm_components or module_components:
+    if mmd.get_rpm_components() or mmd.get_module_components():
         if 'rpms' not in xmd['mbs']:
             xmd['mbs']['rpms'] = {}
         # Add missing data in RPM components
-        for pkgname, pkg in rpm_components.items():
+        for pkgname, pkg in mmd.get_rpm_components().items():
             if pkg.get_repository() and not conf.rpms_allow_repository:
                 raise Forbidden(
                     "Custom component repositories aren't allowed.  "
@@ -121,10 +119,9 @@ def format_mmd(mmd, scmurl, session=None):
                 pkg.set_cache(conf.rpms_default_cache + pkgname)
             if not pkg.get_ref():
                 pkg.set_ref('master')
-        mmd.set_rpm_components(rpm_components)
 
         # Add missing data in included modules components
-        for modname, mod in module_components.items():
+        for modname, mod in mmd.get_module_components().items():
             if mod.get_repository() and not conf.modules_allow_repository:
                 raise Forbidden(
                     "Custom module repositories aren't allowed.  "
@@ -133,12 +130,11 @@ def format_mmd(mmd, scmurl, session=None):
                 mod.set_repository(conf.modules_default_repository + modname)
             if not mod.get_ref():
                 mod.set_ref('master')
-        mmd.set_module_components(module_components)
 
         # Check that SCM URL is valid and replace potential branches in pkg refs
         # by real SCM hash and store the result to our private xmd place in modulemd.
         pool = ThreadPool(20)
-        pkg_dicts = pool.map(_scm_get_latest, rpm_components.values())
+        pkg_dicts = pool.map(_scm_get_latest, mmd.get_rpm_components().values())
         err_msg = ""
         for pkg_dict in pkg_dicts:
             if pkg_dict["error"]:
diff --git a/tests/__init__.py b/tests/__init__.py
index cf2a1d32..bf5efa32 100644
--- a/tests/__init__.py
+++ b/tests/__init__.py
@@ -291,9 +291,7 @@ def scheduler_init_data(tangerine_state=None):
         current_dir, 'staged_data', 'formatted_testmodule.yaml')
     mmd = Modulemd.Module().new_from_file(formatted_testmodule_yml_path)
     mmd.upgrade()
-    components = mmd.get_rpm_components()
-    components['tangerine'].set_buildorder(0)
-    mmd.set_rpm_components(components)
+    mmd.get_rpm_components()['tangerine'].set_buildorder(0)
 
     build_one = module_build_service.models.ModuleBuild()
     build_one.name = 'testmodule'
diff --git a/tests/test_utils/test_utils.py b/tests/test_utils/test_utils.py
index 7fb0682c..1c494b28 100644
--- a/tests/test_utils/test_utils.py
+++ b/tests/test_utils/test_utils.py
@@ -90,9 +90,8 @@ class TestUtilsComponentReuse:
         second_module_build = models.ModuleBuild.query.filter_by(id=3).one()
         if changed_component:
             mmd = second_module_build.mmd()
-            components = mmd.get_rpm_components()
-            components['tangerine'].set_ref('00ea1da4192a2030f9ae023de3b3143ed647bbab')
-            mmd.set_rpm_components(components)
+            mmd.get_rpm_components()['tangerine'].set_ref(
+                '00ea1da4192a2030f9ae023de3b3143ed647bbab')
             second_module_build.modulemd = mmd.dumps()
             second_module_changed_component = models.ComponentBuild.query.filter_by(
                 package=changed_component, module_id=3).one()
@@ -205,9 +204,7 @@ class TestUtilsComponentReuse:
         mmd = second_module_build.mmd()
         br_list = Modulemd.SimpleSet()
         br_list.add('master')
-        deps = mmd.get_dependencies()
-        deps[0].set_buildrequires({'some_module': br_list})
-        mmd.set_dependencies(deps)
+        mmd.get_dependencies()[0].set_buildrequires({'some_module': br_list})
         xmd = glib.from_variant_dict(mmd.get_xmd())
         xmd['mbs']['buildrequires'] = {
             'some_module': {
@@ -309,11 +306,9 @@ class TestUtils:
         mmd = Modulemd.Module().new_from_file(
             path.join(BASE_DIR, '..', 'staged_data', 'testmodule.yaml'))
         mmd.upgrade()
-        components = mmd.get_rpm_components()
         # Modify the component branches so we can identify them later on
-        components['perl-Tangerine'].set_ref('f28')
-        components['tangerine'].set_ref('f27')
-        mmd.set_rpm_components(components)
+        mmd.get_rpm_components()['perl-Tangerine'].set_ref('f28')
+        mmd.get_rpm_components()['tangerine'].set_ref('f27')
         module_build_service.utils.format_mmd(mmd, scmurl)
 
         # Make sure that original refs are not changed.