Author: Ísey Dís Hávarsdóttir

Today, a formal tasting of farmed salmon takes place in the premises of Matís ohf. What makes this salmon especially interesting is that it was raised on a feed mixture that contains insects.

In the project Metamorphosis, led by Birgur Erni Smárason at Matís, is working to turn organic waste into valuable raw materials for utilization in aquaculture feed. Lack of protein-rich feed has called for new solutions to meet growing industry demand. More than half of all fish species are now farmed and it is likely that production will double in the next 15 years.

Research has shown that insects are very suitable for the production of feed for fish, but many species of insects have the property of being able to convert organic waste into a diet rich in fat and protein. The project focuses on the development of new feed materials made from insects that could be used to respond to the growing protein deficiency in Europe in a sustainable way.

Now this research project is about to end and the only thing that is really left is to see how farmed salmon that has been fed with this innovative feed mixture tastes.

The project is funded by EIT Food .

Styrmir Svavarsson will give his master's lecture in mechanical engineering in Matís today at 14:30.

The aim of the project was to examine the effects of slush ice and temporary cold and freezing storage on the temperature of cod in fresh fish processing.

Inadequate temperature control in a fresh fish refrigeration chain has a major impact on product quality. It is therefore important that the cooling chain is uninterrupted from fishing to consumers in order to maintain quality. Therefore, the product must be refrigerated quickly and safely down to the storage temperature and maintained. The temperature of the product, refrigerant and processing rooms were mapped and two pre-cooling experiments were performed. The first experiment consisted of placing a cod neck in a pot with ice cream and the second experiment consisted of storing the finished product in a package in the refrigerator and freezer.

The results showed that the temperature of the product when packed was too high compared to the recommended storage temperature of fresh cod. The pre-cooling experiments generated temperature profiles that showed the effect of the cooling method that could be used as a reference to reach the correct temperature of the product. The end result is that by constantly pre-cooling the product down to a defined storage temperature, it is possible to improve the cooling chain and increase the quality of the product.

Department: Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science.

Supervising teacher: Fjóla Jónsdóttir, Professor at Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science.

Supervisors: Björn Margeirsson, Associate Professor at Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science and Research Director of Sæplast / Tempra.
Sigurjón Arason, professor at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition, University of Iceland and chief engineer at Matís.

Examiner: Gísli Kristjánsson, production manager at Brim.

When: January 20, 2020, 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm

Where: Matís, Vínlandsleið 12

The Board of the Research Fund has completed the allocation of grants for new research projects for the year 2020.

Three projects led by Matís received grants for the year 2020 from the Research Fund; two project grants and one doctoral student grant.

Science and Mathematics:

Project title: Distribution of arsenic species by seaweed components, in particular arsenic lipids

Project manager: Ásta Heiðrún Elísabet PétursdóttirConcentration (thous.): 19,745 ISK

Engineering and technology:

Project title: ThermoExplore - Bioengineering study of the potential of aerobic thermophilic microorganisms for the production of valuable substances from renewable biomass

Project manager: Guðmundur Óli Hreggviðsson, Steinn Guðmundsson

Concentration (thous.): 18,624 ISK

Doctoral student grant:

Project title: Survey of the underground ecosystem of the volcanic island of Surtsey

Project manager: Pauline Anna Charlotte Bergsten

Concentration (thous.): 6,630 ISK

From 1 January 2020, it will be open until 15:00 on Fridays at Matís.

Opening hours Monday to Thursday will continue from 8:30 to 16:00.

Yesterday, a successful lecture was given in Matís on the organization and impact of salmon farming in northern Norway.

The presentation of the meeting is accessible here.

A recording of the meeting can also be found here.

The results of a project carried out in Matís revealed that fish oils and oils from pelagic fish are well suited as wood preservatives.

Annually, a significant amount of fish oil is added as an additional raw material. In the production of fishmeal, part of the production becomes extra raw material due to high acidity due to free fatty acids or overheating. During the processing of cod liver oil, hundreds of tonnes of unusable fish oil are released due to the production of omega 3 extracts. In addition, hundreds of tons of sterin fall due to the cold cleaning of fish oil. This fish oil has been burned as a fuel and also used for mixing with tar in asphalt making.

In 1941, Tryggvi Ólafsson, the founder of Lýsir hf. summer house with wood paneling as the outer wall at Þingvellir. He used a mixture that mainly contained fish oil to protect the house. Now, 75 years later, the exterior of the house is still as good as new.

The aim of the project was to develop a product from fish oils for use as part of raw materials in wood preservation. Processing processes were developed to process dirty crude oil and pelagic fish into valuable wood oil.

The results showed that fish oils and oils from pelagic fish are well suited as wood preservatives. Sterin could not be used as it precipitates at room temperature and does not mix with other ingredients.

The food experience is an integral part of the lives of tourists wherever they go, whether it is the main purpose of the trip or not.

In the Nordic countries, there is a great awakening to the value of local food production and cuisine for both locals and foreign visitors. At the same time, increased emphasis is placed on sustainability in food production and tourism, so that a balance between growth and protection is maintained. In this context, questions arise as to how driving forces such as climate change and consumer behavior shape decisions that promote greater sustainability and innovation in the food production and tourism of the future. A Nordic working group chaired by Iceland in the Nordic Council of Ministers will try to answer these questions.

Icelandic Food Resources under the auspices of the Ministry of Industry and Innovation leads the project in collaboration with the Icelandic Travel Cluster and Matís and enjoys the assistance of Icelandic experts. Nordic participants in the project come from Norway, Denmark, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Åland and Sweden.

Now Kairos future company specializing in futures analysis is collecting data for us that will be useful in workshops that will be held both abroad and in Iceland next year.

Sensory assessment, such as quality assessment, and consumer issues are important links in the work carried out in companies that produce and sell consumer goods. The Nordic Sensory Workshop is a Nordic conference held approximately every other year. 

The conference is organized by experts in the field of sensory evaluation and consumer research in the Nordic countries, and also takes turns hosting the conference. It will now be held in Gothenburg on 13 and 14 May 2020, and is managed by RISE (The Swedish Research Institute) with assistance from Nordic partners in Iceland (Matís), Norway (NOFIMA), Denmark (Teknologisk Institut) and Finland (VTT-Technical Research Center of Finland).

The title of the Nordic Sensory Workshop 2020, which will be held in Gothenburg 2020, is "What is the Added Value of Sensory and Consumer Science". It will, among other things, discuss the dissemination of information obtained from sensory evaluation and consumer research. The emphasis will be on scientific results and their usefulness and their dissemination to industry as well as society. Examples of how sensory evaluation and consumer research have been important in research, product development, a sustainable society, education, etc. will be examined. Professionals and scientists who work with sensory evaluation, quality issues and consumer issues in the field of food and other consumer products will have the opportunity to meet and compare their books. The conference is also ideal for strengthening connections and opportunities in the Nordic region.

There will be two speakers from Iceland, but Kolbrún Sveinsdóttir, Matís, will give a lecture at the conference on young people's food awareness and Snorri Hreggviðsson, Margildi, will discuss the value of sensory evaluation in product development.

More information about the conference can be found on the event's registration page, which can be accessed here. For further information, please contact Kolbrún Sveinsdóttir, Matís specialist (kolbrun@matis.is).

Two new articles were published in issue 32/2019 of the International Scientific Journal Icelandic Agricultural Sciences (www.ias.is).

The first article can be accessed here: https://ias.is/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/IAS-2019-6-Bjorn_Gudmundur_Arngrimur_Thorsteinn_61-74.pdf

The article, Precipitation, drainage and loss of nutrients from peatlands in Hvanneyri, is by Björn Þorsteinsson, Guðmund Hrafn Jóhannesson, Arngrím Thorlacius and Þorstein Guðmundsson.

The article deals with the amount of substances in wastewater from fields in Hvanneyri. The main nutrients and fertilizers, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na) and sulfur (S), were measured in the wastewater, as well as precipitation and flow. . Highly soluble ammonium, nitrate, and phosphate were also measured.

The results showed that there was a large difference in both the amount and concentration of substances in the effluent between seasons, as there was much more effluent during the winter months and the concentration of substances was also higher than during the growing season. The total leaching of Ca, Mg, K and Na turned out to be rather large, but the leaching of nitrogen components and phosphorus was smaller than might be expected with reference to the fact that this is fertilized arable land on drained bog.

This is the first study of nutrient loss from arable land in a well-defined body of water where the fate of nutrients in ditch effluent can be properly accounted for. This is therefore a very important contribution to the discussion on the loss of substances in agriculture and possible eutrophication in the drainage of fields.

The second article can be accessed here: http://ias.is/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/IAS-2019-7-TMulloy_ICBarrio_KBjornsdottir_ISJonsdottir_DSHik_-75-85.pdf

The article, Fertilizers equalize the short-term effects of sheep grazing in the highlands of Iceland, is by Tara A. Mulloy, Isabel C. Barrio, Katrín Björnsdóttir, Ingibjörg Svala Jónsdóttir and David S. Hik.

The article describes experiments at Þeistareykir and Auðkúluheiði where the effect of sheep grazing on vegetation cover and vegetation mass of vegetation on sparsely vegetated surfaces, by comparing sharp and ungrazed fields that were either treated with fertilizer or not. The study was repeated in two different habitats (mountain kelp and mel) in two areas, inside and outside the volcanic zone. Sheep grazing did not affect the vegetation cover of a sparsely vegetated surface, but in fertile fields on such land, grazing reduced the biomass of plants (mainly grasses). Grazing pressure can increase significantly in fertile areas and counteracts the accumulation of biomass. When using fertilizer to control soil erosion on pastures, the biomass removed by increased grazing must therefore be taken into account.

There is a lot of discussion about the effects of sheep grazing and grazing management on pastures and soil erosion, but knowledge about the effects of grazing and grazing management is lacking. This study is therefore an important contribution that both increases our knowledge and is a relevant contribution to the discussion on grazing issues.

Editorial

IAS

On Thursday 19 December, there will be a lecture in Matís' premises at Vínlandsleið 12 Reykjavík, on the organization and impact of salmon farming in northern Norway. The lecturer will be Gunnar Davíðsson, who works as a department manager for the county council of Troms county in Norway.

Troms is about half the size of Iceland with about half of the population in this country. Salmon farming is a hugely important industry in the county, with production of 190 thousand tons per year.

A total of 10 juvenile fish farms are operated in Troms and 16 fish farms operate nine slaughterhouses and farms in more than 100 fish farms. The aquaculture companies buy goods and services in the county for about ISK 40 billion a year. Jobs in aquaculture in the county are well distributed in the sparsely populated municipalities of the county, which are 24 today. About 70% goods and services are purchased from companies in Troms and the neighboring county of Nordland. The fire and service around the industry calls for both vocational education and expertise and attracts young people as the wages are good and the activities profitable. Aquaculture has increased attendance in vocational education and university studies related to the industry and also had a positive effect on tourism in the county.

The meeting will review the impact of aquaculture on the economy and development in Troms and try to answer the question of what lessons Icelanders can learn from the experience of the people of Troms county. What is Norway's experience of salmon farming in northern Norway, where conditions are often similar to conditions in the Westfjords and Eastfjords? Can the Norwegian experience help to assess the impact of salmon farming on the economy and human life of fjord settlements in Iceland?

Everyone who is interested in salmon farming as an industry and has a homecoming is encouraged to come and participate in an informative lecture.

The meeting will be held in Matís' hall on the third floor at 15:00 to 16:30. Meeting guests will be offered refreshments during the meeting.

The meeting will be chaired by Gunnar Þórðarson.