This post was most recently updated on July 25th, 2023
Overview
Cockroach milk, considered a highly nutritious beverage, does not contain lactose, so it is a suitable alternative to cow’s milk. However, this type of milk also has certain limitations that you should carefully learn before using it.
You may have had cow’s milk, goat’s milk, or nut milk but not heard of cockroach milk. For those who are lactose intolerant, cockroach milk is an option that offers all the essential nutrients without causing unpleasant reactions. This is one of the new trends that many people are curious about. However, this type of milk also has many limitations besides its beneficial effects on health.
Let’s learn about the milk of insects that most of us chase to discover more about the rich nutrition.
What is cockroach milk?
Cockroach milk is a protein-rich crystal produced by a cockroach called Diploptera punctata. This is a beetle species in the Pacific Ocean. Unlike other normal cockroaches, these Diploptera punctata cockroaches produce milk in the form of protein crystals to feed the growing cockroaches.
In recent years, scientists have discovered that this milk-like crystal is very nutritious and is considered a complete food. This is an excellent source of protein, carbs, and fats.
Also, this milk provides all nine essential amino acids. Many non-meat foods lack one or more of these nine essential amino acids. Cockroach milk, meanwhile, has all nine of these amino acids, making it a good alternative for the dairy products you normally use.
Although there are many health benefits, cockroach milk collection is now being done manually with many complex stages. Therefore, the production of this type of milk is not widely feasible at present.
The process of getting cockroach milk
The mother’s cockroach body begins producing pale yellow crystalline fluids as the embryo develops called “milk.” Scientists have proved this type of milk has three times more nutrition than cow’s milk.
The process of collecting milk needs to be on time. The mother cockroach begins to produce milk for the baby to live around the 40th day. But the mother’s cockroach given milk will have no chance of surviving to this day. Several techniques will be used to extract and condense the milk crystals in the mother’s cockroach womb. Perhaps this very method of taking milk is somewhat scary that many people oppose because of “not humane.”
Although the insects’ milk has many health benefits, the current process of milk collection still faces many difficulties. Most cockroach milk can only be done in a laboratory environment and requires quite a lot of manpower.
Effects of cockroach milk
Although not yet widely produced, there have been some small studies on the health benefits of cockroach milk. You can refer to some of these effects as follows:
Nutrients
Cockroach milk is said to be a superfood with an abundance of nutrients. In fact, there have been laboratory studies showing that this type of milk has three times the nutritional content of cow or buffalo milk. A 1977 laboratory analysis found that the milk had the following nutritional components:
- Carb: 25%
- Protein: 45%
- Amino acids: 5%
- Fat (lipid): 16 – 22%
There are also analyzes showing that the milk, as mentioned earlier, is a source of several other nutrients such as oleic acid, linoleic acid, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, short and medium-chain fatty acids. In particular, this is a substitute for cow’s milk that provides all nine essential amino acids.
Does not cause lactose allergy
Lactose intolerance is a common condition and affects 65% of the world’s population. This is caused by a deficiency of lactase, an enzyme that helps digest lactose in dairy products.
Symptoms of lactose intolerance include diarrhea, bloating, stomach pain, and nausea after consuming dairy products. Cockroach milk does not contain lactose, so it may be a suitable alternative for people with lactose intolerance or cow’s milk allergy.
Why should you be careful when using cockroach milk?
Cockroach milk is rich in nutrients, but there are some limitations that you should be careful about. The following are the limitations of this type of milk:
- High in calories: Although cockroach milk is nutritious, it also contains a lot of calories. Only 250ml of this milk can hold about 700 calories. This is three times more calories than the calories in the same amount of regular cow’s milk. This means that consuming too much of this nutritious milk can cause you to gain weight.
- The process of taking unethical milk: From the viewpoint of many people, the process of obtaining milk from cockroaches may not be ethical. To get a glass of milk, one may need to kill thousands of cockroaches.
- Unsafe safety: Currently, there are no studies to prove that cockroach milk is safe for humans. Therefore, physically sensitive subjects such as children and pregnant women should avoid this type of milk.
- Uncommon: Cockroach milk is quite difficult to get, so it is not popular and may be expensive in the future. This means that not many people have access to this milk.
Cockroach milk is very nutritious but does not contain lactose, so it is a suitable choice for those who are allergic to cow’s milk but still need the necessary nutrients. However, before using, you still need to consider some limitations of this type of milk, such as high calorie but not guaranteed safety.
If you have lactose intolerance in cow’s milk, look for nut milk. Cockroach milk may be a “superfood” in the future, but you do not necessarily follow this trend to replenish nutrients for the body!
