Move over quinoa, kale and goji berries … Scientists are claiming ‘cockroach milk’ could be the superfood of the future.
Before you freak out …
A new study has found that the milk crystals made by the only milk-producing breed of cockroach - Diploptera punctata - contain four times the nutritional value of cow’s milk.
“The crystals are like a complete food - they have proteins, fats, and sugars,” one of the study’s authors told the Times of India. As such, “They can be a fantastic protein supplement.”
The proteins in the milk apparently also helps your body’s stored energy be released slower, keeping you energised for longer.
“It’s time-released food,” another of the study’s authors explains. “If you need food that is calorifically high, that is time released and food that is complete. This is it.”
Helping those in undernourished nations
If the idea of sipping down some milky cockroach goodness is giving you heart palpitations, don’t panic just yet. The plans for this superfood are far more broad-reaching than the ‘activated almond milk’ you’re lapping up at your local cafe.
The idea of ‘milking’ cockroaches could be a significant development in the creation a higher-calorie, more nutrient-dense milk that would work wonders on the the diets of those in impoverished parts of the world.
Cockroach milk in our supermarkets?
If cockroach milk ever become a staple in our supermarket’s milk aisle, it will most likely be cockroach-inspired milk rather than the ‘real deal’.
It’s the protein in the milk that makes it so nutritious, not the milk itself. As such, researchers are working to find a way to replicate this protein … so no, nobody is working to build a bunch of miniature cockroach-milking technology just yet.
*Phew!*
