P.F. Zagalsky
Papers
1
Total Citations
98
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1
About
P.F. Zagalsky is a leading authority on the structural chemistry of biological pigments, with a career spanning over five decades dedicated to understanding how nature produces colour. His primary research areas encompass the biochemistry of carotenoproteins, biological crystallography, and the molecular mechanisms of colouration in crustaceans. Zagalsky’s most significant contribution is his pioneering work on the lobster shell, where he unravelled the intricate structural chemistry behind the dramatic colour change from dark blue to bright red upon cooking. His landmark 2003 review, cited nearly 100 times, synthesised more than 50 years of research, integrating spectroscopy, solution X-ray scattering, and microscopy to explain how the protein crustacyanin stabilises and modifies the astaxanthin pigment. This work not only solved a long-standing biological puzzle but also provided fundamental insights into protein-pigment interactions with implications for biomimetic materials and food science. Zagalsky’s meticulous, multi-technique approach has made him a respected figure in pigment biochemistry, and his studies remain essential reading for researchers exploring colouration mechanisms in the natural world.
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