Why do shrimp turn pink when they are cooked?
Question from Jon Harman
Like other crustaceans, prawns and shrimp are encased in an exoskeleton. Placing them in boiling water loosens proteins called crustacyanin on their surface, revealing a reddish-pink exoskeleton pigment known as astaxanthin hidden underneath.
Answered by James Horton for Brain Dump in How It Works issue 125.
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