Consistency of colour as well as overall colour intensity are essential elements to seafood product acceptability, marketability and dollar value. This is particularly true for the deep red colour of cooked crustaceans. Farmed crustacean species commonly have suboptimal colour consistency and/or colour intensity. There is an industry driven need to therefore optimise colour consistency and intensity of farmed crustacean product.

Farmed crustacean colour is enhanced by a critical but costly feed additive, the carotenoid astaxanthin. The increased outlay in production is offset by gains in market value of between $2 to 5 / kg, in the case of prawns. To achieve consistent premium colour grade scores, our most recent research in penaeid prawns and hard-shelled lobsters showed that the cooked colour of the animal is not related solely to the total carotenoid content of the animal, but it is essential for the carotenoid to be bound with high levels of a colour protein called crustacyanin (CRCN).

To expand our scientific knowledge in this area, future research needs to extend beyond carotenoid inclusion levels in diets, and begin to explore natural variation in abundance of this novel colour protein complex or simple methods that can increase the protein abundance and enhance colour. This baseline information will support the development of commercial procedures that maximise crustacean colour consistency and intensity, allowing farmers to maximise product quality, price, marketability and acceptability.