What are the cultural and social significance of cockroach milk in communities where it is consumed?

Is cockroach milk a traditional food?

No. We found no record of any community that traditionally drinks or shares cockroach milk. Articles that describe a cultural or social tradition around it are not backed by sources. Treating it as a food custom would be inaccurate.

What is cockroach milk?

It is a nickname for protein crystals found in the gut of embryos of the Pacific beetle cockroach, Diploptera punctata. It is one of the few cockroach species that give birth to live young, and the mother feeds the embryos a milk-like substance. Researchers at the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine in Bengaluru, India, found the crystals while studying embryos, and published the work in a crystallography journal in 2016.

What did the researchers find?

• The crystals contain protein along with fats and sugars.
• A senior researcher said a single crystal holds more than three times the energy of an equal mass of buffalo milk. Some headlines said four times cow milk, so the figures vary by report.
• The crystals release their contents slowly as they are digested.

Can you buy it?

It is not a food product. A senior researcher said he does not expect cockroach milk to be harvested and sold as a commodity. The plan was to make the protein in yeast using biotechnology, and to test it for safety once made in significant amounts. We found no evidence that it is on sale as a supplement, and any product claiming to be cockroach milk should be treated with caution.

Why does it matter?

Scientists are interested in it as a possible future protein source and as a design model for slow-release nutrients. That is a research idea, not a dietary recommendation. Do not eat cockroaches or use cockroach products as a supplement. Insects from pests can carry germs and allergens, and some people are allergic to them.