Is cockroach milk the next big superfood - and would you try it?

Scientists say cockroach milk is an up-and-coming superfood as a study finds it’s three times more nutritious than cow’s milk.

With the health and wellness industry booming, people are often looking for ways that they can alter their diet and lifestyles to improve their physical and mental well-being.

Despite how gross it sounds, nutritionists say that cockroach milk has some amazing benefits and may even be one of the most nutrient-dense substances on our planet.

A 2016 study published in the Journal of the International Union of Crystallography analysed the milk-like fluid that is produced by female Pacific beetle cockroaches to feed their young.

They found that the yellowish substance crystallised inside the stomachs of the cockroaches’ offspring when fed to them.

As well as revealing it contains three times the calories of buffalo milk – previously the most calorie-rich mammalian milk – the researchers found it contains a tonne of proteins, amino acids and healthy sugars to help will cell growth and repair.

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With all that said, cockroach milk is not yet available for human consumption, with the biggest barrier being the production.

Cockroaches make only a tiny amount of the fluid to feed their young. Add to that the fact they’re not able to be traditionally milked in the way that cows and goats are, and the commercial viability remains pretty slim.

While some experts are hopeful that genetic engineering may be utilised to achieve commercial production, it is yet to be determined whether the substance is safe for human consumption.

Experts in the EXCLI Journalwrote: “Milk protein crystals and other products produced from cockroaches could be part of a next generation of super foods. Milk is a valued component of the human diet as its nutritional properties enhance human health and quality of life.”

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