Cockroach Milk Is Four Times More Nutritious Than Cow Milk
Cockroach milk is a protein rich, crystallized substance produced by a specific type of cockroach called Diploptera punctata!
This species is unique because it gives birth to live offspring. Members make “milk” in the form of protein crystals to serve as food for their developing young.
In recent years, scientists have discovered that this milk-like crystalline substance is nutritious and considered a complete food, as it’s a good source of protein, carbs, and fats, and over 3 times more nutritious than cow’s milk!
However, harvesting this milk-like substance is currently a labor-intensive process. It involves killing a female cockroach and her embryos once it begins to lactate and then harvesting the crystals from its midgut.
According to one of the co-authors of a popular study on cockroach milk, it’s currently infeasible to mass-produce cockroach milk. The co-author estimates that it would take killing more than 1,000 cockroaches to make just 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of the milk.
