Author: hilduryr@matis.is

Children's nutrition improved with Icelandic formula and teacher training at Bandari School

Children and women in Africa are most at risk of malnutrition with serious consequences. One type of malnutrition is caused by a lack of vitamins and minerals that are essential for the body to function efficiently

It is important to respond to this and the aim of the project “VAXA ACTION Impact Nutrition Program in Tanzania” is to support improved nutrition and education on nutrition and hygiene. The Sustainable Development Goals Partnership Funds supports the project.

The project „VAXA ACTION Impact Nutrition Program in Tanzania“ is led by VAXA Technologies Iceland, which has developed a vitamin and mineral-rich blend from Icelandic Ultra Spirulina, which is intended to be tested and used to improve the nutritional status of children at the Bandari School in Mto wa Mbu. The project is carried out in collaboration with Matís, which has adapted teaching materials on hygiene and nutrition to circumstances and needs of supervisors and teachers at Bandari School. The project is also being carried out in collaboration with Óskar Örn Óskarsson, a pediatrician, who will monitor the effects on health and well-being of the children during the project.

In end of February 2025, partners from VAXA Technologies Iceland, Matís and Óskar, visited the school in Mto wa Mbu with the aim of getting to know Bandari School better and conducting measurements to assess the health and well-being of children at the school aged 6-12, as well as educating and training Bandari School staff on nutrition and hygiene.

The project partner in Tanzania is The Bandari Project (a non-profit organization) who are already working to break the cycle of poverty by providing educational opportunities to impoverished children and women in Mto wa Mbu, Tanzania. Students at Bandari School are children from some of the most disadvantaged families in the region, and very often the meals the children receive at the school are the only nutrition they receive. Therefore, it is very important that the meals are as nutritious as possible and a project like VAXA ACTION Impact Nutrition Program in Tanzania is greatly needed.

In collaboration with the children´s parents, health personel in Mto wa Mbu, and the staff at Bandari School, the health and well-being of around 150 children was assessed, and six teachers at the school received education and training in the dissemination of nutrition and hygiene.

It was clear that the personel at Bandri School carried out their work with great ambition and dedication. The children at the school were generally very happy and it was clear that there was trust and good relationship between them and the school staff.

Matís rekur öfluga starfsstöð í Neskaupstað þar sem unnið er bæði við þjónustumælingar sem og að rannsóknum og nýsköpun í matvælaframleiðslu.

Starfsstöðin í Neskaupstað sinnir fjölbreyttri þjónustu, þar sem við metum meðal annars gæði og ferskleika sjávarafurða og annarra hráefna sem fara til matvælaframleiðslu. Við þjónustum m.a. sjávarútveginn, fyrirtæki í matvælaframleiðslu, álframleiðslu, heilbrigðiseftirlit og fleiri aðila sem treysta á faglega greiningarþjónustu. Að sama skapi standa dyrnar opnar fyrir öllum þeim sem hafa áhuga á samstarfi, stóra sem smáa, og leggjum við okkur fram um að styðja við nýsköpun, vöruþróun og gæðamál í atvinnulífinu.

Það skiptir gríðarlega miklu máli að Matís sé með starfsstöð á Austurlandi. Nálægðin við fyrirtækin á svæðinu styrkir tengslin við atvinnulífið og eykur aðgengi þeirra að rannsókna- og greiningaþjónustu. Með því að byggja upp öfluga þekkingarstarfsemi í heimabyggð skapast ný tækifæri fyrir ungt fólk, stuðlað er að fjölbreyttari atvinnu og aukinni nýsköpun á svæðinu. Þannig leggur Matís sitt af mörkum til að efla byggð á landsbyggðinni.

Matís og verkefnið BioProtect vekja athygli á að íslenskir skólar hafa tækifæri til að sækja um Pro Bleu styrk:

Styrkur: ProBleu funding call

ProBleu hefur það að markmiði að efla skóla samfélag í Evrópu (Network of European Blue Schools) með því að bjóða allt að 7.500 evrur í styrk til verkefna sem varða aukinn skilning á vatni og hafi. Umsóknir skulu berast fyrir 23. maí, klukkan 17:00 CET.

Hvað er ProBleu? 

ProBleu styður við skóla sem eru í fararbroddi við að kenna krökkum um verndun hafs og ferskvatns. Á næstu þremur árum mun ProBleu bjóða að minnsta kosti 100 skólum styrki fyrir spennandi verkefni. Skólar geta fengið allt að 7.500 evrur í styrk fyrir verkefni sem standa yfir í allt að ár.

Hverjir geta sótt um styrkinn

ProBleu styrkurinn er sérstaklega ætlaður skólum í löndum sem eiga fulltrúa í Blue Schools samfélaginu: Austurríki, Belgíu, Danmörku, Þýskalandi, Íslandi, Írlandi, Kosovo, Lúxemborg, Möltu, Svartfjallalandi, Noregi, Slóveníu og Úkraínu. Það kemur þó ekki í veg fyrir að önnur lönd geti sótt um styrkinn.

Hér er hægt að finna allar nánari upplýsingar:

Algae are becoming more and more popular in the West for consumption, partly because they are a rich source of minerals and vitamins. However, they also absorb the element arsenic from the sea, which can be carcinogenic.

In algae, arsenic is detected mainly in the form of diverse organic compounds of arsenic, eg arsenosaccharides and arsenolipids, but organic arsenic species have been considered harmless. However, recent studies of arsenolipids have shown that they can exhibit similar toxicity to carcinogenic inorganic arsenic. The question has also been raised whether arsenosaccharides, which make up the majority of the arsenic measured in algae, can have long-term negative effects with regular consumption. The concentration of toxic inorganic arsenic and arsenolipids is generally low in algae, but there are exceptions. For example, consumption of brown algae is not recommended Hijiki, which has been used, for example, in soups, as it contains a large amount of inorganic arsenic.

Much is still unknown about the origin of arsenolipids, but the starting point of their production is believed to take place in algae.

There is an urgent need for more information on these arsenic compounds in order to fully assess whether their consumption is associated with risks and to ensure that appropriate rules are set for their maximum levels in food.

Sampling provided a deeper understanding

To gain a deeper understanding, dozens of samples of red, green and brown algae were collected near Grindavík and Kjalarnes. The samples were thoroughly analyzed for heavy metals and an arsenic analysis was carried out to obtain information on the chemical form of the arsenic.

Species identification can be complex and was performed using selective mass spectrometry. In addition, brown macroalgae were divided into biological fractions to determine whether the distribution of arsenic species was uniform throughout the seaweed. There is limited information available globally on arsenolipids in seaweed, so this comprehensive profiling of arsenic species in different species of algae is challenging to elucidate how these enigmatic organic arsenic compounds are formed and where they are stored within the algae.

Results showed large differences between algal species

The results showed, among other things, that the concentration of hydrophilic arsenic species, such as arsenosaccharides and inorganic arsenic, varied between different algae species. Inorganic arsenic was found in low concentrations in all the algae that were measured, except in horse kelp, where the concentration was high - but different depending on which part of the algae was measured. The composition of arsenosaccharides also depended on algal species and season. Interestingly, all macroalgae seem to have the ability to produce four main arsenosaccharide derivatives, although the composition varies.

Lipophilic forms of arsenic (arsenolipids) also differed between algal species. The predominant type of arsenolipids varied, but the difference was greatest between brown and red algae compared to green algae. This has never been demonstrated before.

These results indicate that the cycle of arsenic is highly dependent on algal species, which may have developed different methods and pathways for arsenic metabolism.

Another goal was a detailed analysis of arsenic species in different parts of algae (eg, bract, stem, leaf, or reproductive tissue) and between seasons to provide insight into how these compounds are formed. Arsenosaccharides and one type of arsenolipids containing arsenosaccharides were found in the highest concentrations in the reproductive tissue of brown algae. This indicates that the sugars are the starting point for the production of these arsenolipids. It is possible that arsenosaccharides or arsenolipids are produced for a specific biological purpose and these compounds can be utilized by the alga, but their production could also be accidental! However, arsenosaccharides do not seem to serve the purpose of energy storage like other sugars, and it has not yet been discovered whether and what the benefits of their presence in the cell wall are.

Are you interested in knowing more?

The project "Distribution of arsenic species by seaweed parts, in particular arsenic lipids" received funding from the Norwegian Research Foundation in 2020 and has been running for the past 4 years to gain a better and deeper understanding of this interesting field. The project was carried out as part of a doctoral program at the University of Iceland, in collaboration with the Norwegian Marine Research Institute, the University of Graz and the University of Aberdeen.

The study has contributed to a better understanding of the presence of different compounds of arsenic in macroalgae. The data can also be used for risk assessment of arsenic species in seaweed for human consumption and can therefore influence future legislation on food safety. The results from the project are extensive and you can follow new scientific articles that are still being published from the project here.

Distribution of arsenic species by seaweed components, in particular arsenic lipids

Matís in Neskaupstað recently started measuring Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenis by PCR method. In the past months, efforts have been made to offer new, fast methods for microbial measurements in food and feed using PCR technology as well as rotamine measurements in flour. "We are happy to report that the introduction of this technology greatly increases the service we can provide to our customers," says Stefán Eysteinsson, station manager.

With this method, it is possible to process samples faster and better, but it is only necessary to pre-cultivate Salmonella for 24 hours and Listeria for two days in a traditional bacterial medium before performing a PCR test.

"The total analysis time for Salmonella is therefore shortened from 4 days to 1 day and for Listeria from 6 days to 2 days."

This means that it is possible to detect bacteria in samples earlier and then react appropriately.

Rotamines (biogenic amines) have been used in recent years as certain indicators of the quality of flour, and the fishmeal industry in the region has called for it to be possible to carry out rotamine measurements at Matís' workplace in Neskaupstaður. With the arrival of an HPLC device at the facility, it will now be possible to measure rotamine in flour in Neskaupstaður. It is expected that the arrival of the device will shorten the waiting time for results and increase the variety of measurements in Neskaupstaður.

The adoption of these new methods at the Neskaupstað facility is a sign of the continued development of Matís in the countryside, but it is clear that these methods will be crucial for customers.

On this occasion, we at Matís in Neskaupstaðar would like to invite you to visit us on Wednesday, March 6 at 16:00, at Múlann, Bakkavegi 5.

It would be great to see as many of you as possible. Please confirm your arrival and expected number by entering your name and email address here!

• Are you interested in food?
• Do you want to participate in the development of a sustainable food culture?
• How do you think food in schools should be made healthier and more sustainable?
• Do you want to meet other young people from the Nordic countries with an interest in food?

What food event is this?

• Youth madmøde
• Location: Engestofte Gods in Lolland, Denmark.
• Date: 30 May 2024
• The event is divided into three parts: a cooking school, a food camp and a seminar on food in schools.
• Part of Madens folkemøde which will be held on May 31 -1. June.

What would my role be at the event?

• Participate in preparing Icelandic dishes/food for tasting
• Participate in discussions at the forum
• Travel and subsistence expenses are paid.

Conditions for participation:

• Be between the ages of 16-18
• Have an interest in food and cooking
• Can communicate in English, Danish, Norwegian and/or Swedish

How can I apply to participate?

Submit a short video (about 2-3 minutes, taken on a phone) at thorav@matis.is and report:

• Name, age, school/program (if studying).
• Why you want to join.
• Whether you have attended courses related to food, eg health, cooking, sustainability.
• Experience cooking.

Application deadline March 8, 2024.

Answers to applications will be answered no later than March 18, 2024.