Year: 2015

Demand for fish is steadily increasing and the supply of farmed fish must therefore be increased in order to maintain a stable supply and reduce the pressure on fishing. Fishmeal is the predominant source of protein in fish feed, but the production of the meal has shrunk as the utilization of pelagic fish in more valuable products has increased due to better fishing technology and better cooling of the raw material.

At Matís, dr. Ragnar Jóhannsson, project manager, has been working on various projects aimed at finding raw materials other than fishmeal for aquaculture and utilizing unused raw materials. Waste from cellulose factories in Sweden and the cultivation of biomass in geothermal gases from the Hellisheidi Geothermal Power Plant are possibilities that have been explored.

Ragnar has worked with Swedish companies in the production of Single Cell Protein (SCP) from sidestreams from the forest industry. The main goal is to develop a product that replaces fishmeal. It was necessary to find out which microorganisms were most suitable and which sidestreams in cellulose and paper production were best suited for this production. The protein mass is dried and mixed with other raw materials to make aquaculture feed. This feed has been tried in tilapia farming with good results and is currently being developed for char farming.

Another method that has been tried in feed production is to use hydrogen sulphide from the Hellisheidi power plant as an energy source in the cultivation of microbial biomass. The microorganisms grow rapidly on hydrogen sulphide, are then dried and added to aquaculture feed. This project was recently completed after two years of development work, but further research is needed to maximize results.

For further information Ragnar at Matís.

Matís participated in the Fisheries Conference 2015, which ended last week. It is safe to say that never before have so many people attended the conference and the organizers are very pleased with how it went. The Matís employees who attended the conference agree.

Online errands

All presentations made at the Fisheries Conference 2015 can now be downloaded from the conference's website under Agenda 2015 . Students from the University of Akureyri have also been out and about Facebook page where you will find a summary of presentations.

Participants

There were about 750 registered participants and there have never been more. The largest number of participants in the conference halls was around 550 people, but many attended only part of the conference. Over three hundred people's meeting rooms were packed into several seminars, as can be seen in the picture above. What goes on outside the conference room is also important, but the Fisheries Conference is a forum where people meet, strengthen relationships and co-operate in the industry. 

Futuristic idea of the Fisheries Conference 2015

Margildi won by a landslide over the Avant-garde idea and Matís warmly congratulates Margildi's employees.

Origin and life history 186 Atlantic salmon caught within the Icelandic fisheries jurisdiction were investigated using DNA mapping to assess the origin and scales and mills to find out how long the salmon have stayed in freshwater and sea. This study was conducted at Matís in collaboration with Veiðimálastofnun, Marine Research Institute and Directorate of Fisheries.

Most of the samples were from salmon that was in its first year at sea or 72.8%. The lifespan of freshwater varied from one year to five and the average freshwater age of salmon was 2.6 years. Most salmon had been in freshwater for two years or 42% and 28% had been in freshwater for three years.

A database on the origin of salmon stocks in 284 European rivers was used to study the origin. It turned out that the 68% samples were traced to mainland Europe and the British Isles, 30% were traced to Scandinavia and northern Russia, but only 2% salmon were from Iceland.

This study shows that the sea area south and east of Iceland is an important feeding ground for Atlantic salmon, and especially for salmon from the British Isles and southern Europe. The low proportion of salmon of Icelandic origin came as a surprise and indicates that Icelandic salmon use another grazing area.

The study is described in more detail ICES Web site.

Detailed information is provided by the first author of the article, Kristinn Ólafsson at Matís.

The Faculty of Food and Nutrition at the University of Iceland and Matís have entered into an agreement between them on continued collaboration in the field of teaching and research. Inga Þórsdóttir, President of the School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, and Sveinn Margeirsson, CEO of Matís, signed the agreement yesterday. The agreement ensures continued collaboration on developing and improving studies in food and nutrition at the University of Iceland. The agreement further strengthens the strong collaboration between the University of Iceland and Matís.

The main points of the agreement between the Faculty of Food and Nutrition and Matís are:

• Ensure an acceptable number of students in food and nutrition at the University of Iceland.
• Develop and improve studies in food and nutrition at the University of Iceland and thus ensure professional uniqueness in order to attract students and scholars on an international level.
• Collaborate on more projects that link the disciplines of food science, food safety, biotechnology and nutrition. We will continue to work together on the development of equipment, databases and other infrastructure.
• Students can work on research and development projects under the guidance of Matís staff under the supervision of permanent teachers or visiting professors from the Faculty of Food and Nutrition and in accordance with the University of Iceland's rules on the qualifications of supervisors.  

^{From left: Sigrún Mjöll Halldórsdóttir, project manager at Matís, Sveinn Margeirsson, CEO of Matís, Guðjón Þorkelsson, president of the Faculty of Food and Nutrition and division manager at Matís, Inga Þórsdóttir, president of the School of Health Sciences and
Þórhallur Ingi Halldórsson, professor at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition.}

The Faculty of Food and Nutrition and Matís have had a good collaboration on teaching for a long time, but Matís' employees have traditionally taught at the faculty. The collaboration has now increased even further as two Matís employees have been given a permanent position at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition at the University of Iceland and one employee of the faculty has been given a permanent position at Matís.

• Björn Viðar Aðalbjörnsson, a specialist at Matís, has held the position of 20% Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition since 1 January 2015.
• Sigrún Mjöll Halldórsdóttir, project manager at Matís, will hold the position of Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition from 1 January 2016.
• Alfons Ramel, professor at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition, will hold the position of specialist at Matís 20% as of January 1, 2016.

Matís is a leader in Iceland in research in the field of food production and food safety. Matís' policy is to strengthen the competitiveness of Icelandic products and the economy, improve public health, ensure food security and sustainable use of the environment through research, innovation and services in the fields of food, biotechnology and genetic engineering. In order to implement its policy, it is necessary for Matís to work in collaboration with the University of Iceland on teaching and training students.

The Faculty of Food and Nutrition is one of the most powerful units of the University of Iceland in research facilities for each full-time equivalent of teachers. The faculty strives to be at the forefront with high-quality research and teaching that can be compared on an international level. The collaboration with Matís supports these goals. There is also a strong emphasis on collaboration with institutions and companies such as Matís in the University of Iceland's policy.

Further information is provided by Inga Þórsdóttir and Sveinn Margeirsson.

Snorri Hreggviðsson, Margildi ehf., Won first prize in the competition The Future Policy Idea of the Fisheries Conference 2015.

The idea is to produce Marlys, mackerel, herring and capelin for human consumption. Margildi ehf. has developed a new and unique processing method, so-called rapid cold cleaning, which makes it possible to cold clean fish oil from pelagic species. Until now, it has not been possible to cold-clean efficiently and fully purify the aforementioned fish oil for human consumption due to the large amount of saturated and long-chain monounsaturated fatty acids in the fish oil.

Margildi has worked on the project with the engineering firm EFLA, Matís, KPMG, Alta ráðgjöf, Kanon Architects, the University of Akureyri, the Association of Southern Municipalities (SASS), the Association of Municipalities in East Iceland (SSA), the Ministry of Industry and Innovation, AVS and Sjávarklasan. Experimental raw materials have been obtained from HB Grandi, Síldarvinnslan and Eskja, as well as Vinnslustöðin and Ísfélagið in the Westman Islands. 

Matís 'experts have been involved in the project and Matís' facilities have used the project to advance it.

home page Margildis.

The Fisheries Conference 2015 will be held at Hilton Reykjavík Nordica from 19 to 20 November

The aim of the Fisheries Conference is to bring together in one place a cross-section of the Icelandic fisheries sector to work for progress. The Fisheries Conference is a forum where people meet, strengthen relationships and co-operate in the industry.

Matís has a booth at the conference where technical solutions and collaborative projects are presented. Birgir Örn Smárason, PhD student at Matís, will speak at the conference. Rannveig Björnsdóttir, director, is on the board of the Fisheries Conference.

The website of the Fisheries Conference is here

Dr. Hrönn Jörundsdóttir has been appointed Administrative Secretary by the Executive Board of the SAFE Consortium, the European Organization for Food Safety.

Hrönn holds a PhD in chemistry and is a project manager at Matís and received his doctorate from Stockholm University. She is an expert in environmental chemistry, food safety and risk assessment, and has led several national and international research projects in this field.

Hrönn will assist in the operation and management of the association, including overseeing publications, communicating with members of the association and presenting SAFE to stakeholders. Hrönn has extensive experience in issues related to food safety, environmental quality, communication with the media and promotions, and will therefore be a powerful addition to SAFE's management team.

SAFE Consortium website: www.safeconsortium.org/