In the latest issue of World Fishing & Aquaculture, there is an interview with Jónas R. Viðarsson, Division Manager at Matís, about how it has been possible to increase the full utilization of seafood in Iceland in recent decades, and what opportunities exist regarding further utilization and value creation in the fishing industry.
Iceland is looked to as an example of how it is possible to greatly increase utilization and value creation in the fishing industry, but there Matís, in collaboration with companies, universities and authorities, has played a major role.
The interview with Jónas was done at the conference Fish Waste For Profit, which was held last June. But experts and business partners from all over the world gathered there to discuss how to increase utilization in the fishing industry.
The interview with Jónas can be found by clicking here:
Saltfish is closely related to our Icelandic history and culture. Matís has worked on the projects in recent years Life isSaltfish past and present and Salted fish delicacies to strengthen the position of salted fish and develop new and improved prepared dishes based on traditional salted fish. Project manager Kolbrún Sveinsdóttir, together with other experts at Matís, has worked diligently on the projects and tells us all about the progress here.
A real salt fish should really be on a par with what Parma ham is to Italians
There is a long tradition of processing salted fish in Iceland, and salted fish has been intertwined with Icelandic history and food culture for centuries. Today, the export of fully salted fish products is among our most valuable exports. Most of the exported salted fish goes to countries such as Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, France and Brazil, but in these countries a long and strong tradition has been created for the consumption of salted fish as a luxury product in restaurants as well as for ordinary consumers out there.
"At the same time, you can hardly get real salted fish here at home, whether in fish shops, supermarkets or restaurants. Salted fish is even sold as salted fish. We felt it was extremely important to create a higher place for this real luxury product in Iceland, Iceland should really be the Mecca of saltfish," explains Kolbrún.
"Then it is not smart to offer fish, which is not real salt fish. It is necessary to differentiate between what is truly salted fish on the one hand and salted fish on the other," says Kolbrún. Salted fish, usually lightly salted or overnight salted, does not have the same working characteristics as salted fish, which is finished with salt and brine and then dry-salted even for weeks, before being dewatered, which gives this product unique properties such as the characteristic working taste and firm texture. In Kolbrún's opinion, real saltfish should be on a par with Parma ham to Italians.
"Another thing we wanted to fix regarding the image of salted fish was the myth that salted fish should be salty. We wanted to convey that salted fish, which is properly watered, should not be surf salt."
"The point is, after dehydration, the salt content should be on par with the salt content of many foods that many people consume, often on a daily basis, such as common breakfast cereals such as cereal or Cheerios."
"Many dishes, such as pizzas and mincemeat, tend to contain a similar amount of salt, or considerably higher, such as meatballs, cooked ham and ham, according to the database ÍSGEM," says Kolbrún.
Great knowledgetoon efficacy, dehydration, shelf life and quality
Matís has worked diligently on research projects on salted fish, and this has resulted in enormous knowledge of action, dehydration, shelf life and quality. Three doctoral students have conducted academic research in consultation with a fishing industry company on the entire production process, and the goal of that work was to gain deeper knowledge of the physical and material properties of raw materials and final products in order to improve the industry's performance and at the same time to be able to produce a product with the right quality for demanding markets. That knowledge has been communicated in various ways to stakeholders, not least salt fish producers.
"However, there was a need to strengthen the domestic value chain as a whole, and better promote saltfish as the gourmet product it is," says Kolbrún.
The main goal of the project Life is saltfish before and now, which was funded by AG-Fisk, was to increase knowledge about seafood, such as saltfish, and thus contribute to increased respect and thus increased value of it. In the project, traditions, innovations, processing methods, properties and quality of salted fish were examined and presented. Workshops and meetings with chefs were held, together with presentations, which took place in Iceland and other northern countries in cooperation with the Íslandstofa, marketing companies and salted fish producers.
A successful saltfish workshop
A workshop on salted fish was held by Matís on April 30, 2019. The workshop was attended by salted fish producers, master chefs and students of the cookery program of the Menntaskólin in Kópavogur (MK). The aim of the workshop was to make saltfish more popular, get to know the properties of saltfish, history and culture, evaluate the situation as it is, reflect on opportunities and obstacles and exchange opinions and experiences with saltfish.
The results of the workshop showed that the participants found a significant difference between dehydrated salted fish and lightly salted fish and agreed that people need to be taught how salted fish differs from fresh fish.
Participating culinary students believed that the opportunities of salted fish are great and they found salted fish to be a fun ingredient to work with. There was a consensus that there was a lack of awareness among chefs and the public that salted fish should not be very salty. Fish in restaurants and fish shops would often be too salty. "It could encourage consumers to refrain from buying salted fish and instead choose lightly salted or night-salted fish, where the salty taste is more balanced," explains Kolbrún.
A saltfish week that was a hit
As a result of the workshop, it was decided to launch an image campaign for salted fish as a gourmet food, a week-long event entitled "Salt Fish Week". The main goal of Saltfish Week was to promote saltfish in Iceland and introduce the endless possibilities, quality and interesting history of saltfish to Icelandic and foreign visitors. Guidelines for handling and dewatering were prepared and restaurants and canteens were encouraged to participate.
To evaluate the experience of those who participated in the saltfish week, they were sent a questionnaire. General satisfaction was measured among the 13 restaurants and 10 canteens that served saltfish during Saltfish Week. Relatively many people ordered salted fish dishes in restaurants, and salted fish dishes were well received by guests. The main motivating factors for participating in Saltfish Week were various, but the main ones could be mentioned a pleasant change, it would be nice to meet foreign chefs and that the event has a good effect on diversity and creativity in the workplace, as well as that it was important to introduce the ingredients to both Icelanders and foreign tourists .
"Most of the participants who have rarely or never offered salted fish believe that it is likely that they will offer it more often after the salted fish week," says Kolbrún.
The effect does not last
Since the project was intended to promote the improvement of the image of salted fish and at the same time support the increased knowledge of cooks, about the treatment, quality and possibilities of salted fish in general, it could be said that salted fish producers and cooks are direct beneficiaries. Also consumers, both domestic and foreign, who benefit from the healthful eating of properly watered salt fish, which is not too salty, as well as having a wider selection of gourmet dishes that pamper the taste buds and the dining experience in general.
Despite the publication The saltfish book, saltfish has been left out of the teaching of cookery students. The project has brought a new emphasis on educational material and at the same time changed that situation for the better, and after the workshop within the project was held, MK has used the material presented there for teaching at school. Therefore, it can be assumed that aspiring and new chefs know a good deal about salted fish, which will translate into restaurants and the food flora in Iceland for the future.
An excellent and wider selection of salted fish dishes have returned to the menus of restaurants, and we can mention for example that at Einsa Kalda in Vestmanney, their salted fish dish is one of the most popular dishes since the Saltfish Week was held. There, a cooperative basis has been created for saltfish processing in Vestmannaeyjar (the Processing plant in Vestmannaeyjar) and Einsa Kalda in dewatering finished saltfish.
"In terms of volume, this one restaurant now sells more dehydrated processed saltfish (in a dish from the menu), than the only supermarket chain in Iceland that sells dehydrated processed saltfish, on an annual basis," explains Kolbrún.
The follow-up projectSalted fish delicacies
Workshop in the project Saltfiskkräsingar
The project Life is saltfish before and now is over. Although that project has yielded good results, more is needed to properly put saltfish on the map for us Icelanders, as a gourmet food, with all its history, culture and characteristics. To follow this up, a follow-up project was applied for, Salted fish delicacies, which started now in 2022, but it also received funding from AG Fisk. The project is very much about the sharing of knowledge, and this autumn a workshop was held in the building of the Menntaskól in Kópavogur, in collaboration with Matís, the Menntaskól in Kópavogur (MK), Grím Kokk, the Culinary Master's Club and Icelandic saltfish producers. The results of that workshop showed that there seem to be endless opportunities and opportunities for saltfish, but that we need to pave the way for saltfish to the Icelandic market better, and the next steps within Saltfiskkræsing are aimed at that.
The project was carried out in collaboration with Matís, the Íslandstofa, Klúbb reiðslumistara, Menntaskólanin in Kópavogur, Icelandic saltfish producers and others. The project was also joined by Nordic partners in Norway and the Faroe Islands. The project received funding from AG-Fisk on behalf of the Nordic Council of Ministers and the AVS Research Fund.
Sixteen multiparous Holstein cows in four blocks of 4 × 4 Latin square over 4-week experimental periods were used to study the effects of seaweed (Saccharina latissima) supplement (with/without) and protein source (rapeseed meal (RSM)/wheat distiller's grain (WDG)) on milk mineral concentrations. Dietary treatments did not affect milk production and basic composition. Feeding seaweed slightly decreased milk Ca and Cu concentrations; whilst increased (by 3.3-fold) milk iodine (I) concentration, due to a higher dietary I supply. Substitution of WDG with RSM increased feed-to-milk transfer of Ca, Na, and Se and decreased that of Mg, P, Fe, and Mn; but only reduced milk Mn and I concentrations (the latter by 27 % as a potential result of increased glucosinolate intake). Seaweed supplement can improve milk I content when cows' I supply/availability is limited, but care should be taken to avoid excess milk I contents that may pose nutritional risks for young children.
Last summer, Sigmundur Páll Freysteinsson, a master's student in textile and fashion design at Kyoto University and Kyoto Seika University in Japan, worked on the project Future utilization of macro and microalgae in the textile industry in Iceland in close collaboration with Matís. The project was supported by the Student Innovation Fund.
The textile and clothing industry is far behind in adopting better and more environmentally friendly processes and is considered one of the most polluting industries in the world. Algae can be a unique raw material to use for environmentally friendly textile dyeing. Various nations have realized the utilization potential of large and small algae, but now there is an opportunity to use them in the production of natural textile dyes, which has not been known before. The project involved both an in-depth study of sources on coastal products in Iceland as well as color experiments with the large and small algae that can be considered for large-scale production. The project looks to the future and promotes sustainability, innovation and new opportunities related to the textile industry, design and algae cultivation in Iceland. One of the ingredients that was tested was a blue nutritional and antioxidant substance that VAXA Technologies has developed, among other things, in the project Iceblue. Macroalgae from the project were also tested MINERVA.
Matís is also involved in both of these projects, but Iceblue is funded by Ranni's Technology Development Fund as part of the Eurostars program of the European Union. MINERVA is funded by the BlueBio Cofund.
Sigmundur with the instructors at Matís – Rósa Jónsdóttir and Margréti Geirsdóttir.
Here you can see a beautiful dyeing test on Icelandic wool with a blue nutrient and antioxidant from VAXA Technologies.
Here you can see a color palette made from Icelandic large and small algae processed on cotton.
This study aimed to investigate the effects of two brown Icelandic seaweed samples (Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus vesiculosus) on in vitro methane production, nutrient degradation, and microbiota composition. A total mixed ration (TMR) was incubated alone as control or together with each seaweed at two inclusion levels (2.5 and 5.0% on a dry matter basis) in a long-term rumen simulation technique (Rusitec) experiment. The incubation period lasted 14 days, with 7 days of adaptation and sampling. The methane concentration of total gas produced was decreased at the 5% inclusion level of A. nodosum and F. vesiculosus by 8.9 and 3.6%, respectively (P < 0.001). The total gas production was reduced by all seaweeds, with a greater reduction for the 5% seaweed inclusion level (P < 0.001). Feed nutrient degradation and the production of volatile fatty acids and ammonia in the effluent were also reduced, mostly with a bigger effect for the 5% inclusion level of both seaweeds, indicating a reduced overall fermentation (all P ≤ 0.001). Microbiota composition was analyzed by sequencing 16S rRNA amplicons from the rumen content of the donor cows, fermenter liquid and effluent at days 7 and 13, and feed residues at day 13. Relative abundances of the most abundant methanogens varied between the rumen fluid used for the start of incubation and the samples taken at day 7, as well as between days 7 and 13 in both fermenter liquid and effluent (P < 0.05). According to the differential abundance analysis with q2-ALEx2, in effluent and fermenter liquid samples, archaeal and bacterial amplicon sequence variants were separated into two groups (P < 0.05). One was more abundant in samples taken from the treatment without seaweed supplementation, while the other one prevailed in treatments supplemented with seaweed. This group also showed a dose-dependent response to seaweed inclusion, with a greater number of differentially abundant members between a 5% inclusion level and unsupplemented samples than between a 2.5% inclusion level and TMR. Although supplementation of both seaweeds at a 5% inclusion level decreased methane concentration in the total gas due to the high iodine content in the seaweeds tested, the application of practical feeding should be done with caution.
Edible seaweeds with a relatively high total arsenic concentration have been a global concern. As the largest seaweed producer, China contributes about 60 % of the global seaweed production. The present study investigated 20 seaweed species collected from representative seaweed farming sites in the six provinces along the Chinese coastline, of which Saccharina japonica, Undaria pinnatifida, Neopyropia spp., Gracilaria spp., Sargassum fusiforme were listed as the most consumed seaweeds in the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The inorganic arsenic (iAs) concentration in most of the seaweeds was below maximum limits (0.3 mg iAs/kg) as seaweed additives for infant food in the National Food Safety Standard of Pollutants in China (GB2762-2017, 2017), except for the species Sargassum, in which the iAs concentration significantly exceeded the limit and ranged from 15.1 to 83.7 mg/kg. Arsenic speciation in 4 cultivated seaweeds grown in both temperate and subtropical zones is reported for the first time. No significant differences in total As and iAs concentration were identified, except slightly higher total As concentration were found in Saccharina japonica growing in the temperate zone. The estimated daily intake (EDI) of toxic iAs via seaweed consumption was generally below the EFSA CONTAM Panel benchmark dose lower confidence limit (0.3 μg/kg bw/day) except for all Sargassum species where the EDI was significantly higher than 0.3 μg/kg bw/day. Moreover, the first-ever reported data on As speciation indicated very high iAs concentrations in Sargassum hemiphyllum and Sargassum henslowianum. To minimize the food chain iAs exposure, reducing both human intake of Sargassum spp. and the used of Sargassum spp. for animal feed is highly recommended.
Thirty conventional and twenty-four organic dairy farms were divided into equal numbers within system groups: high-pasture, standard-pasture, and low-pasture groups. Milk samples were collected monthly for 12 consecutive months. Milk from high-pasture organic farms contained less fat and protein than standard- and low-pasture organic farms, but more lactose than low-pasture organic farms. Grazing, concentrate feed intake and the contribution of non-Holstein breeds were the key drivers for these changes. Milk Ca and P concentrations were lower in standard-pasture conventional farms than the other conventional groups. Milk from low-pasture organic farms contained less Ca than high- and standard-pasture organic farms, while high-pasture organic farms produced milk with the highest Sn concentration. Differences in mineral concentrations were driven by the contribution of non-Holstein breeds, feeding practices, and grazing activity; but due to their relatively low numerical differences between groups, the subsequent impact on consumers' dietary mineral intakes would be minor.
A group of students in the Introduction to Engineering course from Reykjavík University visited Matís recently. The students received an award for their project on the production of renewable bioplastic from seaweed for drinking straws.
In their project, the students worked to replace plastic pipes, as innovations that have appeared on the market, such as steel pipes and cardboard pipes, are unsuitable for users. The students therefore decided to produce tubes made of bioplastic from kelp. The group visited Matís recently and spoke with project manager Sophie Jensen to gain more knowledge on the subject.
We recommend watching the students' video below.
Students in the group are:
Emil Örn Aðalsteinsson
Hafdís Sól Björnsdóttir
Halldór Jökull Ólafsson
Hrannar Briem weekend
Katla Yr Gautadóttir
We thank the students very much for the visit and wish them good luck.
In the show Science and us shown on Hringbraut is an interview with Ingibjörga Gunnarsdóttir, professor of nutrition at the University of Iceland's Faculty of Food and Nutrition, and Agnes Þóra Árnadóttir, PhD student at Matís.
In the interview, Ingibjörg talks about the effects of nutrition during pregnancy on the health of both mother and child and research that has been done to assess the general state of nutrition. Agnes Þóra has been examining the effect of the mother's nutrition during pregnancy on the intestinal flora of the child. The samples are taken at the age of 4 months, 6 months, 1 year and 2 years. The way the intestinal flora develops in these children is being monitored, and it is looked at based on what the mother is eating during pregnancy. Both a biological sample and a list of questions are examined, which mothers are asked to answer.
We recommend watching the episode in its entirety on Hringbraut:
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