Aqueous homogenates of the crystalline style of bivalve Anadara rhombea, Crasssostrea madrasensls, Katelysia opima, Meretrix meretrix, Meretrix casta and Donax cuneatus were scanned in both ultraviolet and visible ranges of light spectrum. A prominent peak recorded in the UV range at 275 nm in all species indicated the high protein content of the style. In the visible range three absorption peaks were obtained between 392 nm and 562 nm in all species tested. A major peak recorded at 430 nm was accompanied by two minor peaks. The pattern of absorption spectra in the visible range was in general agreement with the spectrum obtained for carotenoid pigments. The results suggested that carotenoid pigments were present in the style and responsible for the colour of the style.