Scientists think cockroach milk could be the next superfood
Next time you reach for superfoods like kale and quinoa, you may want to top them off with a fresh glass of healthy cockroach milk.
Yes, the insects are creeping back on the trendy food list after a new study said the “milk” crystals they secrete to feed their embryos are bursting with nutritional benefits.
Does that mean you can slip cockroach milk in your cuppa without noticing the difference?
Well, apparently it tastes just like cow’s milk, according to one researcher – so that’s the taste test passed then.
The boff was part of a team of scientists from India tasked with probing the crystals, and the results from their newly published study are surprising to say the least.
Cockroach milk is among the most nutritious substances on Earth, claim the experts.
It’s also three times richer in calories than buffalo milk (which is lower in cholesterol but higher in protein than regular cow’s milk).
But don’t go searching under the sofa (or online) for creepy crawlies just yet, because cockroach milk still isn’t ready for its mainstream moment.
“In principle, be fine,” it should biochemist Subramanian Ramaswamy told NPR. “But today we have no evidence that it is actually safe for human consumption.”
That hasn’t stopped Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop website (the modern purveyor of barmy lifestyle fads) from adding it to its list of animal milks that don’t come from cows.
Roach lovers will recall that this craze first reared its ugly head in 2016.
Back then another team of Indian scientists revealed the crystals pack “proteins, fats, and sugars” and all the “essential amino acids”.
But questions still linger about the new superfood.
While cockroach milk expert Dr. Barbara Stay has figured out how to milk the bugs (you stick a filter paper in their sac for embryos and extract the crystals), no one knows how to produce enough of the rare liquid for mass consumption. Culled from thesun.co.uk