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Article: HOW & WHY
- Article from:
- The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)
- Article date:
- January 5, 1987
CopyrightCopyright 1987 The Boston Globe. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Q. Why do lobsters turn red when you boil them?
A. Live lobsters can be found in a wide range of colors that
are usually mottled combinations of green, grey, brown, blue, and
violet. Although genes have a strong role in determining a
lobster's color, it is also influenced by diet -- for example,
lobsters that eat large amounts of quahogs and oysters tend to
turn blue, according to Bruce Estrella, senior Marine Fisheries
biologist at the Coastal Lobster Investigation Project. When a
lobster shell is subjected to heat, the proteins and pigments go
through structural changes, called denaturation, says Estrella,
and the red, orange and yellow pigments -- called carotenoids --
are all ...