none StationeryHello,
I am looking for a good explanation for what stops bluing in King Crab.
I understand that crab blood gets its blue color from the oxygen-carrying respiratory protein hemocyanin, and that there are a number of theories as to how cooking controls the ability of the blood to turn blue.
I am curious as to how cooking the crab to a certain temperature for a minimum time, stops the bluing process.
Does cooking disrupts the molecular structure of the hemocyanin?
Does cooking destroy or de-activate an oxidative enzyme naturally found in the blood?
Occasionally, we have observed slight amounts of bluing in the external surfaces shoulder and attribute this to improper bleeding and washing during the butchering process. Extensive thaw tests of these crab sections show that the crab is properly cooked and no bluing is found elsewhere within the section. I believe that blood from a freshly butchered section will turn blue when it is exposed to air and that you can not cook the blue away.
I have also observed in crab sections that were purposely undercooked, how the bluing process is slowed by maintaining a deep frozen temperature (colder than 0°F). Portions of this same undercooked crab maintained at warmer temperatures 40°-45°F will show significant signs of bluing (from the shoulder to the dactylus) within a very short period of time. This would seem to support the idea of an oxidative enzyme that has its ability diminished by the cold temperature.
Does the molting cycle of the crab have any factor?
Thank you,
Gregg Morrow
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