Why Do Lobsters Turn Red?

It's kind of cool --- you drop your lobster into a pot of boiling water and when it comes out --- it's color completely changes.

WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN?

The culprit = Astaxantin

According to Wikipedia: Astaxanthin is a keto-carotenoid. It belongs to a larger class of chemical compounds known as terpenes built from five carbon precursors, isopentenyl diphosphate, and dimethylallyl diphosphate. 

It was the curiosity of a team of chemists from the University of Manchester in England to make this discovery.

Lobster is not the only animal that changes color after being cooked --- there are many crustaceans experience this alchemy.

SO --- when your lobsters arrive and they are not bright red like all the fancy photos you see, don't freak out --- cook em up and that red color will emerge!

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