Astaxanthin is the chemical that gives krills, lobsters, shrimp, and some crabs their red color when they are cooked. It is an antioxidant.
Astaxanthin in salmons
Salmon, a white-flesh fish, acquires its distinctive salmon color from eating these small shellfish in the wild. Farmed salmons are generally fed with astaxanthin or canthaxanthin to make their color acceptible.
Salmon roe at the Shiogama seafood market in Japan
Salmon roes contain astaxanthin that gives them their reddish color and protects them from ultraviolet.
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