Why does crabs and shrimp turn orange when they are cooked?

When they're fresh from the market, they are color black or gray. But when you cook them they become orange. Why is that?|||Lobster, crab, and shrimp are all crustaceans, which means they have an exoskeleton (or external skeleton) that appears as a hard shell or crust. In the sea, the shells of crustaceans display a variety of colors, but when crustaceans are uncooked, the green-blue hue of the protein complex of the outer shell predominates.








In lobsters, crab, and shrimp, however, a pigment called "astaxanthin" lies hidden, camouflaged by a protein covering. Astaxanthin is a member of the carotene family of pigments, which are responsible for coloring many of the yellow and orange (or "carotene") fruits and vegetables.





Because these protein chains are not heat-stable, their protein wrapping uncoils as soon as crustaceans are put in boiling water. Voila! Red-orange astaxanthin molecules are released. Because pigments related to the carotenes are stable, the astaxanthins now display their unique deep hues that are so appealing.|||Many have asked the same question and here in an example of one question as yours :


http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?鈥?/a>|||Hmmm interesting question! I thought about that once too! Maybe because of the heat just cooks their whole body idk|||the heat|||this will help. full explanation in the first result.


http://tinyurl.com/ycqwz36|||No idea...good question