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Cockroach Milk Has More Than Three Times as Much Energy as Milk Proteins From Cows, Researchers Find" (The Scientist)

Screenshot of the viral post we checked, claiming: Cockroach Milk Has More Than Three Times as Much Energy as Milk Proteins From Cows, Researchers Find" (The Scientist)
The post as it circulated. Faces of private individuals are blurred.

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What We Found

It's from a real 2016 study in IUCrJ (Banerjee et al.) on protein "milk" crystals in embryos of the Pacific beetle cockroach (Diploptera punctata), the only known live-bearing cockroach. The research later won an Ig Nobel Prize.

The study's numbers: about 232 kcal per 100 g for the milk crystals vs. about 66 for cow's milk, so more than 3x by weight.

The study compared whole cow's milk, not "milk proteins." Water buffalo milk (about 110 kcal) is closer, at roughly 2x.

It's an estimate from microscopic crystals inside embryos, not a food trial. Cockroach milk isn't produced commercially or shown to be safe to eat.

Sources

  1. IUCrJ (Banerjee et al., 2016) (opens in new tab)
  2. The Scientist (opens in new tab)
  3. Medical Daily (opens in new tab)

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