敢來嘗一嘗麼? 研究稱蟑螂奶未來或成超級食物
A little cockroach milk with those cookies? Chock full of protein, the insect milk may someday be transformed into a food supplement worthy of human consumption, new research indicates.
一點兒蟑螂奶配上小點心？最新研究顯示，蟑螂這種昆蟲的奶富含蛋白質，它有一天會成爲人類消費的超級食物。Scientists have found that the Pacific Beetle Cockroach feeds its bug babies a formula which is remarkably rich in protein, fat and sugar. Don't expect to find it next to the regular milk in the dairy section, however, at least not for now.
科學家們已經發現，太平洋甲蟲蟑螂餵給幼蟲吃的奶裏富含蛋白質、脂肪和糖。不過，不要指望馬上在你每天的餐桌上喝上它，至少現在還不行。"Any liquid harvested from a cockroach is not true milk. At least not as we think of it," said Becky Facer, director of school and educator programs at Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta.
亞特蘭大弗恩班克自然歷史博物館的學校教育項目負責人貝琪·費瑟表示：“這種蟑螂產出的液體其實並不算真正的'奶'，至少跟我們想象中的奶是不一樣的。”
Most people would agree. After all, the insect liquid takes the form of protein crystals in the guts of baby cockroaches.
大多數人都同意這一觀點。畢竟，這種昆蟲奶是以蛋白質晶體的形式存在於蟑螂的內臟裏的。
"The protein crystals are milk for the cockroach infant. It is important for its growth and development," said Leonard Chavas, one of the scientists behind the research. He explained the crystals have a whopping three times the energy of an equivalent mass of buffalo milk, about four times the equivalent of cow's milk.
進行這項研究的科學家雷納德·哈瓦斯表示：“這種蛋白質晶體對於蟑螂幼蟲來說就相當於乳汁。它對幼蟲的生長髮育非常重要。”他解釋說，這類蛋白質晶體富含能量，是同等質量野牛牛奶的3倍，普通牛奶的4倍。Chavas and his colleagues examined the species, also known as Diploptera punctate, which is the only species of cockroach known to be viviparous -- able to bring forth live babies that have developed within the mother's body, instead of the mother laying eggs to develop outside her body.
哈瓦斯和他的同事們研究了這種又被稱爲太平洋折翅蠊的蟑螂，它是所有蟑螂種類中唯一的胎生昆蟲--也就是說它們的繁殖不用排卵，而是直接在身體裏哺養後代。Like other viviparous creatures, this species of roach nourishes its growing embryos with a protein-rich liquid secreted by its brood sac -- the roach version of a uterus. Soon after the embryo ingests the liquid, protein crystals develop within its midgut.
和其他胎生動物一樣，太平洋折翅蠊也有類似於子宮的育囊，通過育囊分泌富含蛋白質的液體來哺育胚胎。胚胎吞下蛋白質營養液體後，很快將其輸送到幼蟲的腸道。Chavas and his colleagues extracted one of these crystals to learn more about it and its potential nutrition. Following tests and even genome sequencing, they discovered it was a complete food.
爲了對其營養成分做更多深入的瞭解，哈瓦斯和他的同事從蟑螂幼蟲腸道中提取了一種蛋白質晶體，進行了一系列的測驗，甚至啓用了基因序列分析，最終發現這種晶體完全可以作爲一種食物。"It is what one would need: protein, essential amino acids, lipids and sugars," Chavas said, explaining that the energy content is so high that it helps infants within this unique species grow much bigger than cockroach babies of other species.
哈瓦斯表示：“它正是我們所需要的，包括蛋白質、人體必需的氨基酸、脂肪和糖分。”他解釋稱，營養成分如此之高，怪不得這種蟑螂幼蟲發育得要比其他種類的蟑螂幼蟲體型大得多。So, how do you milk a cockroach?
那麼，你該怎麼喝這種蟑螂奶呢？The crystals are currently extracted from the midgut of cockroach embryos -- perhaps not the most efficient way of feeding a growing world population.
現在，這種蛋白質晶體是直接從蟑螂幼蟲的腸道提取的。很顯然，這種生產方式在效率上太低了。Ultimately, however, Chavas and his team are hoping to reverse bioengineer cockroach milk, but first they need to understand the exact biological and chemical mechanisms underlying the process.
不過，哈瓦斯和他的團隊希望最終通過基因工程來生產蟑螂奶。但是在這之前，他們先要弄清楚蟑螂奶生產背後的生物和化學機理。
