News of restaurant infestations and disease outbreaks give cockroaches a not undeserved bad reputation. It is natural to think of them as pests that cannot offer anything positive to our daily lives. I personally feel the urge to stomp on them whenever I see them in my room. However, a fairly recent discovery in one cockroach species makes me reconsider their awful reputation.
According to a 2015 CNN article, it was discovered that the Pacific Beetle Cockroach, the only species of cockroach that can give birth to live babies, produces a protein liquid for its babies that turns into protein crystals in their guts while they develop in her body (Scutti, 2000). These protein crystals have about four times the energy content as cow milk when they are compared at equal weights (Scutti, 2000). With all the terrible ethical and environmental complications that come with cow farming and the demand for good lactose free alternatives, I think cockroach milk could easily fill that role better than almond or soy milk especially with the higher energy content.
I know that the idea of eating cockroaches or anything produced by cockroaches sounds revolting to American ears, but there are plenty of edible items today that contain insects as a small part of their listed ingredients. With some good public relations, cockroach milk could be the next big super food.
Work Cited
- Scutti, S. (2016, July 27). Cockroach milk: The drink you didn’t know you’ve been missing. Retrieved September 21, 2016, from http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/27/health/cockroach-milk/
- Starr, F., & Starr, K. (2007, July 9). Pacific beetle cockroach (Diploptera punctata) [Pacific beetle cockroach]. Retrieved September 21, 2016, from http://www.insectimages.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=522002
