According to general belief, the shrimp, the redder the better. But this is not always the case , warns a study carried out by the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Madrid and the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
Normally, these crustaceans acquire a reddish hue when they absorb astaxanthin a, a carotenoid with a great antioxidant power that, like most animals, they obtain through their diet. Therefore, a high level of carotenoids implies a good diet and, consequently, good health.
However, the appetizing redness of prawns is also enhanced by heavy metals such as copper , as the research authors have discovered using quantum chemistry calculations. In addition, the scientists verified how the color of a species of crustacean, Litopenaeus vannamei , was taken away when exposed to water with a small amount (1 mg / L) of copper.
