Why do shrimp turn red when cooked?

Fresh shrimps are bluish-white, but turn bright red after being cooked. This is caused by a substance called "astaxanthin" in the shrimps.

Astaxanthin is a type of beta-carotene. When it is cooked at high temperatures, astaxanthin will quickly decompose from the shrimp's body, so the original bluish-white shrimp will turn bright red. Since astaxanthin is not evenly distributed in the shrimp's body, it is generally most on the back and least on the abdomen, so the cooked shrimp has the reddest back and a lighter color on the abdomen.

However, because the astaxanthin in the shrimp is not stable and will seep out, live shrimp sometimes appear bright red.

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