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Why do shrimp / lobster / crab turn pink or red when cooking?
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Cooking is a form of chemistry - so there must be a technical reason behind this.
Why do all crustaceans turn pink or red when cooked?
chemistry shrimp lobster crab
edited 7 mins ago
Fabby
3,368833
asked 1 hour ago
SnakeDoc
471311
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up vote
2
down vote
favorite
Cooking is a form of chemistry - so there must be a technical reason behind this.
Why do all crustaceans turn pink or red when cooked?
chemistry shrimp lobster crab
edited 7 mins ago
Fabby
3,368833
asked 1 hour ago
SnakeDoc
471311
@Fabby thanks for the edit, I only was thinking about shrimp, but you're right, all crustaceans turn pink! Good edit :)
– SnakeDoc
10 mins ago
You're welcome! Thanks for the acceptance, favour returned, question upvoted and now it's also a bit more generic so whenever anyone googles for lobster / crab / shrimp turning pink, they'll see your question as the first hit in a few months. Actually let me add red too! ;-)
– Fabby
7 mins ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
Cooking is a form of chemistry - so there must be a technical reason behind this.
Why do all crustaceans turn pink or red when cooked?
chemistry shrimp lobster crab
edited 7 mins ago
Fabby
3,368833
asked 1 hour ago
SnakeDoc
471311
Cooking is a form of chemistry - so there must be a technical reason behind this.
Why do all crustaceans turn pink or red when cooked?
chemistry shrimp lobster crab
chemistry shrimp lobster crab
edited 7 mins ago
Fabby
3,368833
asked 1 hour ago
SnakeDoc
471311
edited 7 mins ago
Fabby
3,368833
asked 1 hour ago
SnakeDoc
471311
edited 7 mins ago
Fabby
3,368833
edited 7 mins ago
Fabby
3,368833
edited 7 mins ago
Fabby
3,368833
3,368833
asked 1 hour ago
SnakeDoc
471311
asked 1 hour ago
SnakeDoc
471311
asked 1 hour ago
SnakeDoc
471311
471311
@Fabby thanks for the edit, I only was thinking about shrimp, but you're right, all crustaceans turn pink! Good edit :)
– SnakeDoc
10 mins ago
You're welcome! Thanks for the acceptance, favour returned, question upvoted and now it's also a bit more generic so whenever anyone googles for lobster / crab / shrimp turning pink, they'll see your question as the first hit in a few months. Actually let me add red too! ;-)
– Fabby
7 mins ago
add a comment |Â
@Fabby thanks for the edit, I only was thinking about shrimp, but you're right, all crustaceans turn pink! Good edit :)
– SnakeDoc
10 mins ago
You're welcome! Thanks for the acceptance, favour returned, question upvoted and now it's also a bit more generic so whenever anyone googles for lobster / crab / shrimp turning pink, they'll see your question as the first hit in a few months. Actually let me add red too! ;-)
– Fabby
7 mins ago
@Fabby thanks for the edit, I only was thinking about shrimp, but you're right, all crustaceans turn pink! Good edit :)
– SnakeDoc
10 mins ago
@Fabby thanks for the edit, I only was thinking about shrimp, but you're right, all crustaceans turn pink! Good edit :)
– SnakeDoc
10 mins ago
You're welcome! Thanks for the acceptance, favour returned, question upvoted and now it's also a bit more generic so whenever anyone googles for lobster / crab / shrimp turning pink, they'll see your question as the first hit in a few months. Actually let me add red too! ;-)
– Fabby
7 mins ago
You're welcome! Thanks for the acceptance, favour returned, question upvoted and now it's also a bit more generic so whenever anyone googles for lobster / crab / shrimp turning pink, they'll see your question as the first hit in a few months. Actually let me add red too! ;-)
– Fabby
7 mins ago
add a comment |Â
1 Answer
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up vote
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accepted
Lobsters and crabs have a pigment called astaxanthin in their shells. Astaxanthin is a carotenoid ¹ pigment: absorbing blue light and appearing red, orange or yellow in color. While the crustaceans are alive, astaxanthin lies wrapped in the tight embrace of a protein called crustacyanin. The protein holds the pigment so tight, in fact, that it’s flattened and its light-absorption properties are changed. The astaxanthin-crustacyanin complex then winds up giving off a blue-green color.
These biochemical cuddle buddies get separated when a crab or lobster is cooked. Crustacyanin is not heat-stable, so introducing it to a boiling pot of water or a grill causes it to relax its bonds with astaxanthin, unravel and let the pigment’s true bold red color shine through.
Note ¹: Carrots have given carotenoid its name
Note ²: Eating minuscule shrimp containing this carotenoid is what turns flamingoes pink: well-fed flamingoes will be more pink than pale flamingoes...
Source
answered 52 mins ago
Fabby
3,368833
add a comment |Â
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
5
down vote
accepted
Lobsters and crabs have a pigment called astaxanthin in their shells. Astaxanthin is a carotenoid ¹ pigment: absorbing blue light and appearing red, orange or yellow in color. While the crustaceans are alive, astaxanthin lies wrapped in the tight embrace of a protein called crustacyanin. The protein holds the pigment so tight, in fact, that it’s flattened and its light-absorption properties are changed. The astaxanthin-crustacyanin complex then winds up giving off a blue-green color.
These biochemical cuddle buddies get separated when a crab or lobster is cooked. Crustacyanin is not heat-stable, so introducing it to a boiling pot of water or a grill causes it to relax its bonds with astaxanthin, unravel and let the pigment’s true bold red color shine through.
Note ¹: Carrots have given carotenoid its name
Note ²: Eating minuscule shrimp containing this carotenoid is what turns flamingoes pink: well-fed flamingoes will be more pink than pale flamingoes...
Source
answered 52 mins ago
Fabby
3,368833
add a comment |Â
up vote
5
down vote
accepted
Lobsters and crabs have a pigment called astaxanthin in their shells. Astaxanthin is a carotenoid ¹ pigment: absorbing blue light and appearing red, orange or yellow in color. While the crustaceans are alive, astaxanthin lies wrapped in the tight embrace of a protein called crustacyanin. The protein holds the pigment so tight, in fact, that it’s flattened and its light-absorption properties are changed. The astaxanthin-crustacyanin complex then winds up giving off a blue-green color.
These biochemical cuddle buddies get separated when a crab or lobster is cooked. Crustacyanin is not heat-stable, so introducing it to a boiling pot of water or a grill causes it to relax its bonds with astaxanthin, unravel and let the pigment’s true bold red color shine through.
Note ¹: Carrots have given carotenoid its name
Note ²: Eating minuscule shrimp containing this carotenoid is what turns flamingoes pink: well-fed flamingoes will be more pink than pale flamingoes...
Source
answered 52 mins ago
Fabby
3,368833
add a comment |Â
up vote
5
down vote
accepted
up vote
5
down vote
accepted
Lobsters and crabs have a pigment called astaxanthin in their shells. Astaxanthin is a carotenoid ¹ pigment: absorbing blue light and appearing red, orange or yellow in color. While the crustaceans are alive, astaxanthin lies wrapped in the tight embrace of a protein called crustacyanin. The protein holds the pigment so tight, in fact, that it’s flattened and its light-absorption properties are changed. The astaxanthin-crustacyanin complex then winds up giving off a blue-green color.
These biochemical cuddle buddies get separated when a crab or lobster is cooked. Crustacyanin is not heat-stable, so introducing it to a boiling pot of water or a grill causes it to relax its bonds with astaxanthin, unravel and let the pigment’s true bold red color shine through.
Note ¹: Carrots have given carotenoid its name
Note ²: Eating minuscule shrimp containing this carotenoid is what turns flamingoes pink: well-fed flamingoes will be more pink than pale flamingoes...
Source
answered 52 mins ago
Fabby
3,368833
Lobsters and crabs have a pigment called astaxanthin in their shells. Astaxanthin is a carotenoid ¹ pigment: absorbing blue light and appearing red, orange or yellow in color. While the crustaceans are alive, astaxanthin lies wrapped in the tight embrace of a protein called crustacyanin. The protein holds the pigment so tight, in fact, that it’s flattened and its light-absorption properties are changed. The astaxanthin-crustacyanin complex then winds up giving off a blue-green color.
These biochemical cuddle buddies get separated when a crab or lobster is cooked. Crustacyanin is not heat-stable, so introducing it to a boiling pot of water or a grill causes it to relax its bonds with astaxanthin, unravel and let the pigment’s true bold red color shine through.
Note ¹: Carrots have given carotenoid its name
Note ²: Eating minuscule shrimp containing this carotenoid is what turns flamingoes pink: well-fed flamingoes will be more pink than pale flamingoes...
Source
answered 52 mins ago
Fabby
3,368833
edited 38 mins ago
answered 52 mins ago
Fabby
3,368833
answered 52 mins ago
Fabby
3,368833
answered 52 mins ago
Fabby
3,368833
3,368833
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
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@Fabby thanks for the edit, I only was thinking about shrimp, but you're right, all crustaceans turn pink! Good edit :)
– SnakeDoc
10 mins ago
You're welcome! Thanks for the acceptance, favour returned, question upvoted and now it's also a bit more generic so whenever anyone googles for lobster / crab / shrimp turning pink, they'll see your question as the first hit in a few months. Actually let me add red too! ;-)
– Fabby
7 mins ago