Author: Ísey Dís Hávarsdóttir

Last week, the Icelandic Ocean Cluster published a book about the future of the blue economy called Behind the outer line of sight and discusses the opportunities of the sea that can be exploited for future generations.

The authors of the publication are Þór Sigfússon and Þórlindur Kjartansson, but many other experts and entrepreneurs also give their opinion on various future issues related to the sea.

Experts believe that there are opportunities for increased fish farming, biotechnology, processing of by-products and growing stocks of new species in Iceland, such as shellfish, utilization of kelp and algae cultivation, while the share of fisheries may decrease in the coming years.

The biggest threats, however, are increased pollution in the sea around Iceland, warming and acidification of the sea and plastic pollution.

See more Behind the outer line of sight.

A team of Icelandic and American scientists has been set up to study antibiotic resistance in Iceland. The country's unique position makes it an ideal venue to study this growing threat to public health. The team's research is intended to create knowledge to maintain a low level of immunity in the country and counteract the development of immunity elsewhere in the world.

The study is based on the "one health" methodology and thus covers humans, animals, food and the environment nationwide, with the aim of increasing our knowledge of how the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The intention is to cover as many factors as possible by researching E. coli the bacterium found in livestock, the environment, as well as on domestic and imported meat products and compares them with E. coli bacteria detected in human infections.

The research team is composed of interdisciplinary experts who will study the ecology of bacteria and antibiotic resistance as well as its effects on animals, food and humans. The institutions involved in the study are the Department of Pathology and Virology at Landspítali, the University of Iceland Laboratory of Pathology at Keldur, MATÍS (Matvælarannsóknir Íslands), Matvælastofnun; Antibiotic Resistance Action Institute, George Washington University, Washington DC (ARAC) and the Institute of Ecosystems and Society, Northern Arizona University, Arizona (ECOSS).

The special feature that makes Iceland both unique and optimal for such research is geographical isolation, population and how easy it is to monitor the use of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance in both humans and animals. Antibiotic resistance in the country is among the lowest in the world, but that enviable position is now threatened. Growing tourism industry with more than 2 million tourists to a country with a population of 360,000, increased travel by Icelanders to areas with more antibiotic resistance and growing imports of agricultural products such as fresh meat and vegetables.

It is important to understand why the proportion of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in Iceland is among the lowest known in the world today, despite the fact that we use more antibiotics in humans than is done in our neighboring countries. However, we use much less antibiotics in agriculture than is known in most other places. We hope that the knowledge gained from this study will help maintain a low level of immunity in the country. That knowledge could also help counteract the development of immunity in other parts of the world.

The main goal of the research team is to create knowledge that could be used to formulate countermeasures based on evidence-based science.

The research team in Iceland

• Exam. Karl G. Kristinsson, Department of Pathology and Virology at Landspítali and the Faculty of Medicine at H.Í.
• Þórunn Rafnar Þorsteinsdóttir, Experimental Station H.Í. in pathology at Keldur
• Exam. Viggó Marteinsson, MATÍS (Icelandic Food Research)
• Vigdís Tryggvadóttir, Matvælastofnun

Further information

Matís participated in organizing and holding courses on quality, handling and sensory assessment of fish in Kigoma, Tanzania.

The purpose of the course was, among other things, to increase understanding of the importance of good fish handling, but studies have shown that up to 60% catches of small fish (Dagaa) from Lake Tankanyika are lost due to poor handling and processing, which corresponds to up to 35 million US dollars annually.

The course which was held 18-22. November 2019, a total of 18 people were inspected by fisheries inspectors, researchers and a representative of the Tanzanian Ministry of Fisheries. Participants were instructed in handling and value of quality, as well as freshness assessment of fish.

The course was held by the United Nations University (UNU-FTP in Iceland), in collaboration with Matís and locals.

On Saturday 23 November, an award ceremony was held at Askinur 2019, the Icelandic Championship in food crafts, at the Food Festival in Hvanneyri.

Food craftsmanship is about creating products with an emphasis on unique taste, quality and not least image, which industry can not create. The emphasis is on the use of local ingredients, production in small quantities that are often regional. Food craft products are wholesome, without unnecessary additives and products that can be traced back to the source. The hallmark of food craftsmanship is to use the raw materials, manpower and know-how available on site, throughout the entire production chain. In food crafts, the emphasis is on developing traditional products for today's consumers. Food craft products are different from other food products in that almost no additives (E substances) are allowed in them, mechanization is limited and Icelandic raw materials are used as much as possible. At Askin 2019, Matís is collaborating with the West Iceland Strategy, the West Iceland Marketing Agency and the Agricultural University of Iceland. Matarauður Íslands sponsored the competition.

This year's competition included 133 products. Due to the number of registered products in three categories, they were divided into a total of 10 competition categories. Below are the winners:

Baking
Gold	Rye bread	Brauðhúsið ehf
Silver	Rye-oat bread	Brauðhúsið ehf
Berries, fruits and vegetables
Gold	Dried larch mushrooms	Holt og heiðar ehf
Silver	Spruce syrup	Holt og heiðar ehf
Bronze	Sundried tomatoes	Garðyrkjustöðin Laugarmýri
Berries, fruits and vegetables - sour
Gold	Pickled radishes	Bjarteyjarsandur sf
Silver	Kimchi, a crunchy Korean mix	Huxandi Slf
Bronze	Sausage cabbage, one with everything!	Huxandi Slf
Berries, fruits and vegetables - drinks
Gold	Main blueberry tea	Urta Islandica ehf
Silver	Cranberry juice	Íslensk hollusta ehf
Fish and seafood
Gold	Birch-smoked urrði	Food crafts from fram-Skorradalur
Silver	Hot smoked mackerel	Sunshine
Bronze	Lightly smoked cod fillets	Sunshine
Meat and meat products
Gold	Goose choking	Wild game Silla slf.
Silver	Smoked ham	Sauðfjárbúið Ytra-Hólmur
Meat and meat products - raw
Gold	Red wine salami	Tariello ehf
Silver	Nautasnakk	Mýranaut ehf
Bronze	Strawberry snack	Breiðdalsbiti
Dairy products
Gold	Sveitaskyr	Rjómabúið Erpsstaðir
Silver	Búlands Havarti	Biobú ehf.
Bronze	Basil butter	At Ártangi
Innovation
Gold	Bopp	Accident
Gold	Salt talk	Bjargarsteinn Mathús
Bronze	Salted caramel syrup	Urta Islandica ehf
Innovation - drinks
Gold	Glóaldin Kombucha Iceland	Kúbalúbra ehf
Silver	Pickles - Juice from Kimchi	Huxandi Slf
Bronze	Rhubarb wine	And nature

Welcome to the Food Festival in Hvanneyri on Saturday 23 November at 12-16

AGENDA

12:00 - 16:00 FOOD MARKET
- handicrafts and food straight from the farm - restaurant
- Exhibition of competition products in the Icelandic Championship in food crafts
- open house at the Agricultural Museum and Ullarseli

12:00 REKO delivery
12: 30 * What is REKO? - Hlédís Sveinsdóttir tells
13: 00 * Kids cook, presentation of Matís project
13: 30 * Horsemeat - Increased respect -> increased value, Eva Margrét Jónudóttir talks about the quality and opportunities of horsemeat
14:00 Prize giving: ASKURINN - Icelandic Championship in food crafts
15: 00 * Milking their river… Gerald and Katharina sheep cheese producers from Austria tell us about farming methods and sheep cheese making.
15: 30 * It is good to grow the carrot - Vífill Karlsson presents the geographical and economic spectrum of horticulture in Iceland

* Short presentations and presentations

All further information can be found on the festival's page at facebook.

The event is organized by: Matís , Iceland's food resources, West Iceland Marketing Agency, Agricultural University of Iceland and the West Iceland Strategy (Food resources of Western Iceland)

The pan-Nordic project, NordMar Plastic , aims to coordinate methods for monitoring and measuring plastic in the environment, promote public education and the publication of teaching materials for children and adolescents. The project advertises for videos in a video competition where the topic is the plastic problem of the world.

The videos should look at the following: How do I see the plastic problem in the world? - What steps or solutions do I envisage that can be taken / developed to solve the plastic problem or part of it? The competition is intended for 13 - 19 year olds, but The deadline for submissions is 1 December.

Great prizes on offer, including helicopter flights and participation in Arctic Plastics where the top 10 videos will be shown. Please send the videos to nordmarplastic@matis.is.

More information can be found at nordmarplastic.com.

Matís is a participant in the project Macrofuels (H2020 #654010) which is now coming to an end. The project was intended to examine the feasibility of using seaweed for the production of fuel for vehicles and covered all aspects of such production: seaweed cultivation; storage; pre-processing for the release of fermentable sugars; fermentation for the production of biofuels; and fuel engine testing.

This November, an important phase of the project was reached when a passenger car was driven on a fuel mixture produced by seaweed fermentation. Ten liters of bio-ethanol, produced by Macrofuels, were mixed with 90 liters of gasoline and a vehicle was driven on the mixture about 80 km. The chemical content of the exhaust was measured and the possible effects on the operation of the engine were monitored. All measurements showed that the properties of the fuel are comparable to conventional fuels.

Heat-loving microorganisms, isolated from Icelandic hot springs, have long been studied at Matís. The number, proximity and diversity of Icelandic hot springs is unique, and the microorganisms found there and the enzymes they produce are often adapted to high temperatures and very low acidity. These are the same conditions that often prevail in industrial biomass processing and are therefore (and their enzymes) very suitable for such utilization. Matís' participation within Macrofuels was to develop these microorganisms and their enzymes with the aim of maximizing the production of seaweed fuel. Seaweed used for fuel production in Macrofuels contains three sugars (alginate, laminarin and mannitol). Yeast, commonly used for bio-ethanol production, is only capable of utilizing one of these three sugars. Matís developed a thermophilic bacterial strain that utilizes all three sugars in the seaweed, with the aim of significantly increasing yields during production. The enzymes that Matís developed split the polysaccharides of seaweed into oligosaccharides and monosaccharides. Such pre-processing is necessary in order to ferment the sugars and produce biofuels.

Compared to other types of biomass, seaweed is very suitable for fuel production. Seaweed grows the fastest of all plants in northern areas, its cultivation does not compete with food production on arable land, and it contains a high proportion of fermentable sugars. There is an increasing emphasis on the use of biofuels and other sustainable energy sources instead of fossil fuels around the world. The results of the Macrofuels project indicate that bio-ethanol can be produced from seaweed, which has the same properties as conventional fuels.

Seaweed grows in large quantities in Iceland, but it is only practical to a small extent. In order to strengthen seaweed processing in Iceland, it is important to develop derivative products that can be created from the seaweed. This could lead to increased value creation and the strengthening of the economy, especially in rural Iceland. Development projects such as Macrofuels and Matís' participation are a step in this direction.

Matís is researching whether Icelandic algae can reduce methane emissions from cows in the SeaCH4NGE project, which is funded by EIT Food. Foreign studies have shown that the use of algae as part of feed can reduce the production of methane gas from ruminants. SeaCH4NGE is researching a wide range of Icelandic algae and whether they can reduce methane from cows. The algae are both studied in laboratories for chemical content and also for their ability to reduce methane production. The algae that come out best in laboratories will then be further investigated in a feed experiment with cows.

It is clear that the effects of catastrophic warming are far-reaching and serious. A recent report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) pointed to the serious consequences of global warming of 1.5 ° C from the Industrial Revolution compared to global warming of 2 ° C. We are already aiming for a minimum of 3-4 ° C global warming in 2100 - but the average temperature difference today and during the ice age is exactly approx. 4 ° C. In this context, it is clear that such a rise in global temperature would overthrow ecosystems.

Meat and dairy products are mentioned in this context. The reason is that cows emit methane gas during fertilization, but methane is a very strong greenhouse gas and is 28x more effective greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Due to the enormous number of cows worldwide, this methane emission plays a major role in greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, which is almost a quarter of anthropogenic emissions.

It is necessary to act. Changes in food habits, agricultural systems, policies and legislation as well as a reduction in food waste are, among other things, important measures to respond to. There is no magic solution to the problem and a holistic approach must always be considered. SeaCH4NGE aims to be a single link towards positive changes in agriculture in terms of the environment.

Below is a video in English which is a short summary of the project and its benefits.

The Land on RÚV recently covered grain farming in Skagafjörður. Information from Matís about the potential of grain for food and feed production came into play. Cereal cultivation in Iceland could become very important in the future if climate change makes it difficult for grain production in the southern regions and the price of grain to rise. Sustainability will also need to be increased by producing more food and feed domestically.

Matís' activities include looking at the future needs of the business community and the general public in the food sector. When it comes to grain, Matís has worked closely with farmers and companies in Icelandic, Nordic and Arctic projects. The result is increased knowledge in the business sector, guidelines and job descriptions that are ready when there is a need to increase domestic production. The instructions have been made available here.

A disciplinary article has discussed the warming effects of barley cultivation.

The country's coverage of grain farming in Skagafjörður and utilization for domestic food production (starts at 1:30).

NextGenProteins is a 4-year project with 21 partners from 10 European countries, four of them participants from Iceland.

Matís ohf. leads a new European research project, NextGenProteins, where the next generations of food and feed proteins are to be developed in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. The project is part of the revolution that needs to take place in world food production in the coming years to meet the world's increased protein needs in the most environmentally friendly way. The project received more than ISK 1 billion in funding from the European research program Horizon 2020 earlier this year and is now starting.

Access to high-quality, sustainably-produced proteins is becoming increasingly limited due to population growth, increasing pressure on natural resources and climate change. At the same time, global demand for protein has never been higher. To meet increased demand, current protein production must double by 2050. Europe is not sustainable in terms of protein production, but 70-80% of the continent's feed proteins are imported, mostly from South America. This fact has focused on food security and the overall competitiveness of Europe.

High need for sustainable protein donations

The negative effects of modern protein production are largely related to factory farming, which causes widespread greenhouse gas emissions, excessive land and water use, and the loss of biodiversity. In order to meet projected future demand for protein, current production methods will put increasing pressure on the world's resources and lead to further greenhouse gas emissions. It is therefore very important to find and develop sustainable protein sources that can be produced in quantities that meet the growing demand of the food and feed industry.

NextGenProteins will develop the production of three new proteins from microalgae, insects and unicellular organisms and verify their usefulness in various foods and animal feeds. An important part of testing is to meet customers' needs and strengthen their confidence in new proteins. Demonstrating the usefulness of the next generation of proteins - produced with less strain on natural resources and less environmental impact - in food and feed and their economic viability, the project will be part of strengthening food security and the sustainability of protein production in Europe.