Við hjá Matís leitum eftir fólki til að taka þátt í umræðum um fæðubótarefni tengdum nýju rannsóknarverkefni sem stýrt er af sérfræðingum Matís og er styrkt af Matvælasjóði.
Tilgangurinn með umræðunum er að fá upplýsingar um notkun á fæðubótarefnum og innsýn í viðhorf til fæðubótarefna með áherslu á B12 vítamín. Þátttaka felst í að taka þátt í umræðum sem tengjast fæðubótarefnum í litlum hópi (6-8 manns) og verður umræðunum stýrt af starfsmanni Matís.Í umræðunum verða þátttakendur spurðir út í notkun og viðhorf þeirra með áherslu á B12 vítamín.
Þátttaka felst í að mæta í Matís, Vínlandsleið 12 Grafarholti. Gert er ráð fyrir að umræðurnar taki að hámarki tvo tíma. Þátttakendur fá afhent 7.000 Kr. gjafabréf eftir umræðurnar.
Umræðurnar verða teknar upp og unnið verður úr niðurstöðum samkvæmt aðferðafræði fyrir eigindlegar rannsóknir. Nöfn þátttakenda, eða aðrar persónuupplýsingar, munu hvergi koma fram í túlkun niðurstaðna, skýrslum, greinum eða öðru efni þar sem fjallað verður um rannsóknina. Vinnsla gagna verður í samræmi við persónuverndarlög.
Samsetning einstaklinga í umræðuhópnum fer eftir ákveðnum bakgrunnsþáttum og fæðuvali.
Ef þú hefur áhuga á að taka þátt smellir þú á tengilinn hér að neðan sem vísar á stuttan spurningalista með spurningum tengdum þátttökuskilyrðum. Ef þú uppfyllir skilyrði fyrir þátttöku verður þú beðin/beðinn/beðið að gefa upp nafn, símanúmer og tölvupóstfang í lok spurningalistans. Þá verður fljótlega haft samband við þig með boði um þátttöku, og þá færðu nánari upplýsingar varðandi skipulag og tímasetningu umræðanna.
The conditions for participation are as follows:
Að vera á aldrinum 25-75 ára
Að taka inn fæðubótarefni og/eða vítamín reglulega (a.m.k. 2-3 sinnum í viku)
Að vera á jurtafæði eða grænkerafæði (vegan)
Að vinna ekki við neytenda- eða markaðssrannsóknir, markaðssetningu, líftækni, matvælaframleiðslu, -rannsóknir eða -þróun.
The Launch of MeCCAM: An EU-funded Project to Mitigate and Adapt European Fisheries to Climate Change Impact
The 1st of Maymarked the official launch of MeCCAM (Measures for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in European Fisheries). MeCCAM is a four-year project aimed at equipping the European fisheries sector with innovative, science-based solutions to adapt and mitigate climate change. Coordinated by Sjókovin in the Faroe Islands, the project brings together 16 partners from 9 European countries. The project is funded by Horizon Europe with a total budget of EUR 4.5 million.
Over the next four years, MeCCAM partners will develop, implement, and recommend mitigation and adaptation solutions to reduce the environmental impact and increase the resilience and sustainability of the European fisheries sector. Solutions will lower fuel consumption, improve harvest quality, optimize output composition, utilize side-streams, and explore new market opportunities. The goal is to support carbon neutrality and enhance the adaptive capacity of seafood value chains across Europe.
The solutions are designed to respond to a broad range of challenges faced across Europe – from the Northeast Atlantic to the Mediterranean – covering large- to small-scale fisheries. The project will deliver outcomes in the following key areas:
Sustainable Fisheries for a Changing Climate MeCCAM will advance innovative fishing gears and decision support tools that help reduce environmental impact, improve fuel efficiency, and optimise fishing strategies, while ensuring economic viability. A mobile app for catch registration will enable fishers to respond in real-time to changes in species distribution caused by warming waters.
Science-Driven Tools for Smarter Decisions Digital innovation is key in MeCCAM. The project will evaluate an environmental accounting software and deliver data-driven tools and best practices to support smarter, climate-resilient decision-making throughout the fisheries value chain.
Collaboration for Lasting Impact Bringing together industry stakeholders, scientists, and policymakers, MeCCAM will foster cross-sector collaboration to ensure that its results are both practical and impactful. Training materials and policy briefs will support the integration of climate adaptation and mitigation strategies into long-term fisheries management.
MeCCAM solutions will be implemented and demonstrated in six regional case studies, including the Northeast Atlantic, North Sea, Bay of Biscay, Iceland, Cyprus, and Greece. These have been strategically selected to reflect the variety of challenges faced by European fisheries—from industrial pelagic and demersal operations to small-scale fisheries. They include both data-rich and data-poor regions with differing levels of adaptive capacity.
With climate change posing increasing risks to marine ecosystems and coastal communities, MeCCAM is a timely and vital step toward securing a sustainable future for European fisheries.
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.
Crystal Riedemann, VAXA, meets with parents of children at the Bandari School
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.
Children in the canteen of Bandari School
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.
Lunch at the Bandari School
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.
Margeir Gissurarson, Matís, educates teachers about 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.
Við leggjum jafnframt áherslu á að styðja við verðmætasköpun í sjávarútvegi og annarri matvælaframleiðslu með því að þróa nýjar lausnir og afurðir, bæta gæði og tryggja öryggi matvæla. Verkefnin okkar eru unnin í samstarfi við fyrirtæki, sveitarfélög, háskóla og aðra hagaðila, bæði á landsvísu og alþjóðavettvangi.
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.
Þriðjudaginn 1. apríl 2025 ver Clara Anne Thérèse Jégousse doktorsritgerð sína í matvælafræði við Matvæla- og næringarfræðideild Háskóla Íslands. Ritgerðin ber heitið: Örverusamfélög á Íslandsmiðum rannsökuð með víðerfðamengja raðgreiningum. Exploration of microbial communities from Icelandic marine waters using metagenomics.
Doktorsvörnin fer fram í Hátíðarsal Aðalbyggingar Háskóla Íslands klukkan 13:00 til 16:00.
Andmælendur eru dr. Alexander Sczyrba, prófessor við Bielefeld University, Þýskalandi, og dr. Ian Salter, rannsóknastjóri við Havstovan – hafrannsóknastofnun Færeyja.
Umsjónarkennari og leiðbeinandi var dr. Viggó Þór Marteinsson, prófessor við Matvæla- og næringarfræðideild og fagstjóri hjá Matís. Auk hans var dr. María Guðjónsdóttir, prófessor við sömu deild og verkefnastjóri hjá Matís, meðleiðbeinandi og í doktorsnefnd sátu dr. René Groben, verkefnastjóri hjá Matís, dr. Pauline Vannier, lektor við Université de Toulon, og dr. Arnar Pálsson, prófessor við Líf- og umhverfisvísindadeild.
Ólöf Guðný Geirsdóttir, deildarforseti Matvæla- og næringarfræðideildar, stjórnar athöfninni sem fer fram í Hátíðasal Háskóla Íslands og hefst kl. 13.00.
Abstract
Örverur gegna lykilhlutverki í því að viðhalda heilbrigði og fæðukerfi hafsins og við að stýra næringarefnahringrás hafsins. Við Íslandsstrendur, þar sem heitir Atlantshafsstraumar og kaldir norðurskautsstraumar mætast, myndast einstakt umhverfi og lífríki sjávar. Þó svo að rannsóknir hafi staðið yfir á frumframleiðni frá miðju síðustu aldar með aðstoð smásjáa og gervitunglmynda hafa rannsóknir á flokkunarfræði örvera á umhverfiserfðamengjum í íslenskri lögsögu verið takmarkaðar. Meginmarkmið doktorsrannsóknarinnar var því að skoða hvaða tegundir örvera finnast í íslenskri lögsögu, í hvaða hlutföllum, hvert hlutverk þeirra er í vistríki sjávar og hvaða umhverfisþættir hafa áhrif á dreifingu þeirra.
Meginniðurstöður ritgerðarinnar eru að nauðsynlegt er að kanna örveruflóru hafsins allt árið um kring og einnig mismunandi dýpi. Niðurstöðurnar afhjúpa samhengi örverusamfélaga og umhverfisþátta og leggja grunn að frekari rannsóknum. Opin gögn úr þessari rannsókn mynda viðmið fyrir frekari rannsóknir á vistfræðilegum ferlum og sjálfbærri nýtingu auðlinda hafsins við Ísland á tímum hnattrænna loftslagsbreytinga.
Matís býður viðskiptavinum sínum nú upp á þjónustugátt þar sem hægt er að nálgast allar niðurstöður mælinga á einum stað. Með þjónustugátt Matís fær viðskiptavinurinn góða yfirsýn yfir allar mælingar á sýnum sem hann hefur sent til Matís.
Aðgengi að niðurstöðum ereinfalt og þægilegt; notandinn sér nýjustu mælingarnar og getur síað eftir t.d. dagsetningu, tímabilum og efnisorðum. Einnig er hægt að taka út gögnin í excel skrá.
Fyrirtækjaaðgangar – allt að fimm notendur geta haft aðgang innan hvers fyrirtækis.
Næsta sýni – Í þjónustugáttinni er að finna rafrænt eyðublað til að skila inn næsta sýni, hratt og örugglega.
Þjónustugátt Matís – Allt á einum stað:
Ert þú í viðskiptum við mæliþjónustu Matís og vilt fá aðgang að þjónustugáttinni. Skráðu þig í gáttina með því að smella á hnappinn hér fyrir neðan:
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.
The brown algae Hijiki. Photo: Shutterstock
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.
The sampling took place on a windy day. Photo: Ásta Heiðrún E. Pétursdóttir
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.
Photo: Ásta Heiðrún E. Pétursdóttir
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.
The muscle structure and composition may vary along the different portions of fish fillets, which can complicate the quality and storage stability of products. Loins and tails from Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and redfish (Sebastes marinus) fillets were therefore stored at −25 °C up to 16 months and 20 months, respectively, to investigate the quality changes influenced by the duration of frozen storage within the fillet portions. Throughout the storage period, the loss of total sulfhydryl groups correlates with increased disulfide bonds, indicating partial oxidative protein degradation. This may be linked with protein denaturation as evidenced by the decrease of soluble proteins, as well as decreased water holding capacity and increased thawing drip loss and cooking loss. The results from the cod samples reveal that stronger degradation changes occur in the tail. The loin, therefore, had more storage stability as well as higher nutritional value. However, other quality attributes were similar between the two portions in the redfish fillets. Higher free fatty acid (FFA) values, lower soluble protein contents, and higher disulfide bond contents were obtained in the cod samples compared to the redfish samples at the same storage time, indicating that lipid hydrolysis and protein degradation effects were stronger in the cod ( lean fish) compared to redfish (medium fat species).
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