Cockroach milk is the gross new superfood you didn't know existed
- 6 years ago
WASHINGTON D.C. — You may think cockroaches are the spawn of Satan, but new research has found that the little buggers can produce a whole lotta nutrients.
The Washington Post reports that unlike most insect species, the Pacific beetle cockroach is viviparous. This means it gives birth to live offspring instead of eggs,which it nourishes with a yellow, liquid substance from her brood sac.
Instead of simply being digested, the liquid milk is deposited in the embryo's midguts and forms into tiny crystals.
Analyses revealed the crystalline milk is a complete food containing proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates, and with three times more energy than buffalo milk.
It's apparently one of the most nutritious substances on the planet, but does that mean we should be guzzling the stuff?
Eh … not quite. Milking a roach is hard, but even without the eww factor, there's no telling if roach milk is safe for human consumption. Fortunately, science is on it.
Scientists are now reverse bioengineering the milk and working on using yeast to produce the beetle roach crystals in larger quantities.
It may take a while, but someday people might hoard roach milk instead of kale and avocado.
The Washington Post reports that unlike most insect species, the Pacific beetle cockroach is viviparous. This means it gives birth to live offspring instead of eggs,which it nourishes with a yellow, liquid substance from her brood sac.
Instead of simply being digested, the liquid milk is deposited in the embryo's midguts and forms into tiny crystals.
Analyses revealed the crystalline milk is a complete food containing proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates, and with three times more energy than buffalo milk.
It's apparently one of the most nutritious substances on the planet, but does that mean we should be guzzling the stuff?
Eh … not quite. Milking a roach is hard, but even without the eww factor, there's no telling if roach milk is safe for human consumption. Fortunately, science is on it.
Scientists are now reverse bioengineering the milk and working on using yeast to produce the beetle roach crystals in larger quantities.
It may take a while, but someday people might hoard roach milk instead of kale and avocado.