Cockroach milk could be the latest superfood trend, scientists say
Cockroach milk could be the next superfood, with some companies turning to creepy crawlies as an alternative to dairy.
A study conducted by the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine in India in 2016 found milk from the Pacific beetle cockroach, native for Australia, China, Hawaii and India, contained three times the energy of dairy milk.
One of the researchers, Sanchari Banerjee, told the Times of India, that the crystals, which contain the milk, “are like a complete food” with “all the essential amino acids”.
According to National Public Radio in the US, one of Mr Banerjee’s colleagues tried the milk and it tasted no different from cow’s milk.
That study was further backed by Barbara Stray from University of Iowa who said to get the milk you basically have to milk the cockroaches with filter paper.
South African company Gourmet Grubb is already selling “Entomilk” created from sustainably farmed insects.
“One of the most pivotal benefits of Entomilk is that it has a high protein content and is rich in mineral such as iron, zinc, and calcium,” the site’s description of the product reads.
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Gourmet Grubb also claims farming bugs is 90 per cent more viable than cows in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, water usage and leave a smaller footprint on nature.
As for milking the critters it sounds like hard work. According to science news website Inverse, it takes 1,000 cockroaches to make 100 grams of milk.