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Milk is something most of us grow up with, starting from human milk being the first food all of us ever have. Then we somehow gradually move to cow milk, including it in our baby bottles, coffee, cereals, and used in everything in our daily lives such as cheese, butter and you name everything else. Apart from cow milk, we even have goat's milk which isn't as popular as cow milk, but has a richer texture and a slightly different taste. The amount of calcium that milk gives us is tremendous. Those who have daily allery or lactose intolerance somehow then moves towards substitutes like almond milk, oatmilk and soymilk. Have you ever wondered that you could possibly have cockroach milk one day?!
According to Sin Chew Daily, India researchers from the Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine have recently discovered that one of the cockroach species, namely the Pacific Beetle Cockroach produces a nutrient-rich, crystal-like liquid to feed its young. Unlike most cockroaches, which lay eggs, this one gives birth to live young and nourishes them inside its body with this unique milk-like substance.
Comparing gram for gram, the energy content of these crystal-like liquid is 3 times higher than cow's milk, and similarly 3 times richer in proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. However, the challenge here right now is that due to the size of cockroaches, the amount of such substance produced is very little, and to produce a 500ml bottled like cockroach milk like how we sell cow's milk would require thousands of cockroaches.
Apart from considering large-scale harvesting's practicality, the other matter is whether these crystal-like liquid are safe for human consumption. After all, till date, there isn't evidence providing it's safe for human consumption. On the other hand, the toughest issue in my mind, is ultimately human's perception. Cockroach milk has a serious branding issue here. According to biochemist Ramaswamy, it's a major hurdle: “I don’t think anyone is going to be thrilled to hear that their food was extracted from cockroaches.” As for the taste, one colleague who sampled it reportedly said it was “nothing special.”
If you were given the chance, would you like to give it a try? Comment below and share your views!
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