Could Cockroach Milk Be The Next Big Superfood?

Soy milk, oat milk, cow milk, goat milk, almond milk¡ªwe have endless variety of milk to choose from, more that what we can fathom. But which one of these the most nutritious? Turns out the milk that is derived from this unexpected insect is better than that from mammals that have earned their title of milk bearers over time.

Recent research revealed that the nutrient-rich milk crystals found inside cockroach milk, specifically the ¡®Pacific beetle¡¯, might be one of the most nutritious superfoods, let alone a more nutritious milk product!

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A team of scientists from the Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine (inStem) in Bangalore, India, had earlier revealed that structure of the milk protein crystal found in the guts of this cockroach species.

Being the only species of cockroach to give birth to the live young roaches and is able to feed its babies with protein-dense crystals, this species lives along Asia¡¯s Pacifim rim.

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In fact, the team discovered that a single milk crystal is not only high in calories, but it contains more than thrice the energy that the same amount of dairy milk does!

Just how nutritious is their milk?

The researchers found cockroach milk to be a storehouse of nutrients, according to the study published in the Journal of the International Union of Crystallography. It contains four times as much protein as cow¡¯s milk, three times more than buffalo milk, and also the complete range of amino acids that we have come to associate with milk.

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¡°The crystals are like a complete food¡ªthey have proteins, fats and sugars. If you look into the protein sequences, they have all the essential amino acids,¡± Sanchari Banerjee, a researcher said, back in 2016, as reported by Time.

How do we plan to milk cockroaches?

Since milking them is not an option, the researchers would have to find to engineer the genes that are responsible to produce this super food and replicate this process in the lab.

That being said, cockroach milk might be more of a possibility in a pill format rather than a actual milk, considering it would take a hundred or so cockroaches to produce one pill, says Leonard Chavas a co-author of the study in a report by Inverse.

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Do we really need cockroach milk?

Well, since cockroach milk is still in the making it might be while before you can pick up a supplement derived from it at a store. Well, since cockroach milk is still in the making it might be while before you can pick up a supplement derived from it at a store. This definitely has the makings of a superior source of milk, but it still is in its infancy phase.

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Meanwhile though, the existing options are a dime and dozen, whether you¡¯re looking to lose weight, build muscle or just plan to have it as part of a balanced diet.

The research team is now trying to develop the milk into a supplement in the future. ¡°I could see them in protein drinks,¡± Subramanian Ramaswamy, a biochemist at inStem.

People on twitter have of course gone bonkers at the very thought of even having such an option!