How is cockroach milk produced and what are the challenges in its production?

Do cockroaches have milk?

One species does, in a loose sense. Diploptera punctata, the Pacific beetle cockroach, is viviparous: it gives birth to live young. A 2016 study in the journal IUCrJ describes protein crystals that form in the midgut of a developing embryo of this cockroach. We found no official source that lists other insects producing milk.

What is in the crystals?

The study determined the crystal structure at 1.2 angstrom resolution. The proteins are glycosylated, bind fatty acids and pack into a tight lattice. The authors estimate that a single crystal stores more energy than an equal mass of dairy milk. That is an estimate about one crystal, not a measured food value.

How is it produced for food?

We found no official source describing commercial production. A 2018 editorial in EXCLI Journal calls it a possible future superfood and says biotechnology approaches are being explored, but it gives no production method or safety data. It also says the exact composition and health effects of eating it still need study, and its energy figures are unclear.

What are the challenges?

Based on those sources, the open problems are unknown composition and health effects, and no demonstrated way to make it at scale. Cockroach milk is not an approved or tested food, so do not treat it as a supplement.