Meat floss

Meat floss is made by stewing lean meat finely cut along the grain (pork, chicken or beef though other meats may be used) in a broth until the meat is very tender and individual muscle fibers can be teased apart. This happens when the water-insoluble collagen that holds the muscle fibers of the meat together has been converted into water-soluble gelatine. The meat is then separated from the broth and shredded into fibrous strips. It is then added back into the broth which is enriched with soy sauce, sugar, fennel, ginger, rice wine or other ingredients. Taiwanese pork floss is made by cutting pork along the muscle fibers then boiling it for around 80 minutes to reduce moisture and soften collagen. The meat is then pressed into a paddle to loosen fibers, then transferred to a gas-fired frypan with mechanical scrapers to aid in drying and reducing the meat into long fibers. Sucrose, dehydrated starch and salt is then added at a specific time and ratio to enhance flavor and texture without hindering moisture removal. Once the desired consistency and dryness is obtained, the floss is stored briefly at room temperature and reheated in the scraping-frypan. ==Variations==

Fish can also be made into floss (魚鬆; yú sōng), though initial stewing is not required due to the low collagen and elastin content of fish meat. Rabbit and duck floss can also be found in China. In Muslim-majority Indonesia and Malaysia, beef or chicken floss is the most popular variant, commonly called abon in Indonesian and serunding (also spelled serondeng) in Malay. In Malaysia, serunding is often served during Ramadan and Eid. In Nigeria, beef, goat or other meats are processed into a similar meat floss called dambu nama. File:Abon sapi.JPG|A bowl of beef floss File:Fish floss.JPG|Fish floss is roasted to look similar to yuk sung. File:Indonesian beef floss.jpg|Beef floss vendor in Sulawesi, Indonesia File:HK CWB Yee Wo Street 大班麵包西餅 TaiPan bakery breads 肉鬆包 Sept-2013.JPG|Meat floss buns from Hong Kong ==Health effects==

A study has demonstrated a positive correlation between increased processing temperatures of meat floss and increased formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) within the meat. Up to seven different HAAs were found when meat floss was processed at . HAAs are formed in meats that are cooked to the "well done" stage, and are believed to promote the development of some cancers. ==See also==