Nature & Environment

Cockroach milk: the future's health drink ?

By T.K. Randall
July 26, 2016

Image: Female Black and White Cow
Credit: Keith Weller / (PD) USDA It might not sound particularly appetizing, but the 'milk' from one particular sub-species of cockroach is actually chock-full of protein thanks to special crystals that can be found inside its stomach.

"It's time-released food," said senior study author Subramanian Ramaswamy. "If you need food that is calorifically high, that is time released and food that is complete, this is it."But is it really possible to 'milk' enough cockroaches to feed humanity ?

"They wouldn't go and kill lots of cockroaches for it," said Professor John Carver. "They would isolate the gene for this protein from the cockroach and then express it and grow it up in a yeast system in very large microbiological vats and produce large quantities."

Whether anyone would actually want to drink it however remains to be seen.

Source: SBS.com.au

Tags: Cockroach, Milk