Have you ever wondered when prawns are cooked why the color can change so much - from bluish green to reddish orange?
The key of this phenomenon is all because of a pigment called astaxanthin which exists on the shells of prawns. This pigment is reddish orange originally but it would combine with a protein called crustacyanin to form a bluish green compound. However, when prawns are cooked, the proteins would be damaged such that astaxanthin would restore its original state, thus a reddish orange color would be observed.
The mechanism of change of colors of shelled organisms has actually been studied for years, and a few years ago the researchers in the University of Manchester published an article about the mechanism of change of colors of lobster when cooked.
Their research result may seem interesting but not too meaningful, however this is not true at all! Now researchers are further investigating the usage of this research result, including using astaxanthin to assist people judging whether a food is fully cooked or not. This seems to be a interesting invention that can help people who are not experienced in cooking! At least you can tell whether the food is edible right? :)
Reference: http://pansci.asia/archives/80085
http://www.kingcrab.co.uk/
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