Cockroach Milk: Could It Be The Next Superfood?

Cockroach milk has drawn the attention of people in recent years, with some claiming that it could be the next 'superfood' due to its perceived health benefits and nutrient-rich content like no other animal milk.

Cockroaches are widely considered pests or nuisances, including domestic ones. However, there is a certain cockroach species that stand among the rest, possessing a unique secret.

Previous research on the said species called Diploptera punctata, also known as the Pacific beetle cockroach, found that it is the source of the highly debated cockroach milk.

Found in different parts of the world, including Australia, China, Fiji, Hawaii, India, and Myanmar, D. punctata is one of the many animal species that evolved to possess the trait, of viviparity, the development of an embryo inside the mother's body.

Viviparity is the opposite of oviparity where female animals, including snakes, enter reproductive mode but lay eggs that hatch once outside their mother. In relation to cockroach milk, research shows that the Pacific beetle cockroach during viviparity produces a substance packed with protein crystals, which is apparently more nutritious than any animal-extracted milk.

Cockroach Milk

Based from the study published in the website of the National Library of Medicine¸ researchers speculated that cockroach milk may become the next superfood. This comes as cockroach species show varying levels of maternal sustenance to their developing offspring. In the case of D. punctata, the source of the fluid resembling a milk is found inside the body of a female nourishing the embryo.

The quest for the next superfood is not linear, especially if it comes from natural origins. Scientist and researcher Leonard Chavas states the process of extracting and creating the cockroach milk is both "energy-intensive" and "time-consuming," as cited by The MIT Press Reader.

The challenge lies on the fact that the "milk-like substance" can only be extracted on a single stage of a cockroach's life, the time when it starts to lactate for its offspring, according to the MIT non-profit magazine. Unlike other viviparous animals like cows, the mentioned cockroach species needs to be killed in order to harvest the substance from its midgut.

Chavas estimates that milking several cockroaches could take half a day but making 3.5 ounces of the cockroach product can be produced only by killing 1,000 cockroaches, according to the report.

The Next Superfood?

Due to the claimed health benefits surrounding cockroach milk, it has become a potential candidate as the next superfood of the future. Yet, more scientific and market research is still needed, as the cockroach product itself could not make a successful transition from the laboratory into the market as a public commodity.

After all, it is not certain if majority of people worldwide will crave for a drink coming from cockroaches.

For a product to be considered a superfood, it must possess nutrients with exceptionally high quality and the amount that have proven benefits to health and well-being.

In other definition, a superfood must be high in protein, gluten-free, low in fat, and loaded with omega-3s, as well as containing antioxidants and other essential nutrients, according to the Cambridge University Press & Assessment.