Author: Ísey Dís Hávarsdóttir

New methods in conservation biology use environmental eDNA to assess biodiversity in ecosystems. This technology helps to address many of the shortcomings of other methods and offers a quick and inexpensive way to assess marine biodiversity. 

The origin of eDNA in the ocean is various, but usually the DNA from the organisms comes from skin cells, mucus, eggs, eggs or faeces. Seawater is collected at different depths in the areas under study and the sea is then filtered. The filter contains DNA from organisms that can be analyzed by sequencing technology. Monitoring biodiversity with environmental DNA has many advantages over other methods and the method has proven successful in assessing biodiversity in many ecosystems.

At the conference, Icelandic and foreign experts will present research samples and discuss methods for using the DNA environment to measure and monitor biodiversity.

Has been opened website about the conference with information about planned lectures and speakers.

The conference will be held in the meeting room of the Marine Research Institute from 2 to 3 October 2019 and is open. Registration is a prerequisite for participation.

The conference is sponsored by Ag-Fisk and organized by Davíð Gíslason at Matís and Christopher Pampoulie at the Marine Research Institute.

Students in Youth University visited Matís on 13 June on theme days. The title of the day was "Food in space" and the teaching was done by Sævar Helgi Bragason, actor and award-winning science mediator, Anna Sigríður Ólafsdóttir, professor of nutrition at the School of Education at the University of Iceland, and Kolbrún Sveinsdóttir, specialist in research and innovation at Matís. A total of 24 students aged 12-15 participated. 

The course consisted of instruction on the history of space travel, food and the food cycle in space, our senses and how perception changes in space, human nutrition in space and food culture. Into the teaching were practical exercises with perception and food: smell, taste, appearance, sound and texture, as well as the interaction of the senses and how perception in space is different from what we experience on earth. In addition, students got to know research on microplastics, microbiological and genetic research carried out on Matís, all intertwined with life in space.

Matís' involvement in the project was through the WeValueFood project, which Matís will participate in together with 13 other universities and institutions in Europe in the coming months. WeValueFood aims to support the European food economy by educating and empowering the next generation of consumers in knowledge, interest and participation in food-related issues. Part of that is to introduce and educate young people about food and raise their awareness of the issue with new approaches and from other perspectives. Food in space is a very interesting approach to food-related issues and students were very interested in the connection between food, nutrition and space.

Students got to taste freeze-dried fish, apples and bananas.

WeValueFood is shared and sponsored by EIT Food, a large European food knowledge and innovation community that aims to transform the environment of food production, processing and consumption by connecting consumers with companies, entrepreneurs, scientists and students across Europe. EIT Food supports new, sustainable and cost-effective solutions to improve consumer health and to ensure access to safe, high-quality food that has the least impact on the environment. 

What do the Islanders want?

Tomorrow, Friday 21 June, Matís will hold a lunch meeting with representatives of companies in the fishing and processing of seafood in the Westman Islands. The aim of the meeting is to examine the locals 'thoughts on Matís' future activities in the Islands.

It is important that representatives of fisheries companies and other food producers attend the meeting, learn about Matís' operations and take part in shaping the operations of an establishment in the Islands and what emphasis should be placed on the operations.

Matís 'office has been unmanned since the beginning of last month, when Matís' specialist changed careers. Matís wants to improve as soon as possible.

Matís intends to strengthen ties with the business community and gain a better understanding of the needs of the fishing industry and other food production in the Westman Islands. To that end, the meeting is held.

The meeting will be held in the Knowledge Center of the Westman Islands and it starts punctually at 12:00 The house opens at 11:45 and refreshments will be served. The meeting will end before 13:00.

You do not have to register for the meeting, enough to attend.

It is necessary to ensure that foodstuffs, regardless of origin, do not pose a threat to the health of consumers, as clearly stated in food law, whether in the case of chemical or microbial risks. Organized sampling and accredited measurements have conclusive results. 

Matvælastofnun published on website sinni report which deals with the screening of pathogenic bacteria in meat on the market in 2018. Matís participated in the study and performed measurements of Shiga toxin-producing E.coli (STEC) as stated in the report, as well as assistance with data interpretation and presentation.

Since 2015, the Matís laboratory has been a reference laboratory for STEC and has worked to build up expertise and measurement capacity in Iceland. Through the network of the European Reference Laboratory, Matís participates in international collaboration in developing methods, assessing the spread and strengthening knowledge of STEC in food.

Matvælastofnun's research in which Matís participated is the first of its kind in Iceland and is part of examining STEC's prevalence in food and animals and assessing STEC's position in the Icelandic market. The project is also an important part of preparing the laboratory for dealing with STEC epidemics. The results of the study show that this toxin  E. coli species is present in the meat of Icelandic sheep and cattle.

Today, Matís has examined 369 STEC samples. These are mainly samples from research projects, but some of the samples come from suspected foodborne illness and some from private parties due to regular quality control. As stated in the press release of the Food Administration, STEC can cause serious illness in people, but common symptoms are diarrhea. Kidney damage or so-called HUS (Hemolytic Urea Syndrome) is the most serious symptom of STEC infection. Transmission routes are through contaminated food or water, through direct contact with infected animals, or the environment through contaminated faeces of infected animals.

A collaborative project between Micro ryðfrí smíði ehf., Skinney-Þinganes and Matís on the development of a vertical Dragon for fishing vessels was discussed in Sjórmannadagsútgáfu Sóknarfæri.

The dredging and cooling equipment Drekann can be found in many vessels in this country, but its improved vertical design will be a real innovation in fishing vessels.

At the end of last year, the Technology Development Fund supported a two-year project to redesign the Dragon, which is a bleeding and cooling device in ships, and the project is run by the company Micro stainless construction, which produces the equipment, the fishing company Skinney-Þinganes and Matís. The dragon is a well-known equipment and has been used on board a number of vessels in the fleet for bleeding fish, which is the first stage in the processing process of catch on board. Micro has been producing the equipment since 2012, but now it's time for a redesign and at the same time a completely new way of thinking, because the next generation of the Dragon will be vertical. Such an embodiment has never been seen before in ships, but the intention is for the vertical Dreki to be in four new tugs that are currently under construction in Norway, but Skinney-Þinganes and Gjögur will get two ships each.

Homogeneity in raw material handling
Matís is involved in the research part of the project and that part of the project is handled by Sæmundur Elíasson at Matís in Akureyri. "For example, we are comparing different ways and implementations, comparing the quality of fish and thus evaluating the benefits of the equipment. The dragon equipment is both a bleeding and cooling device for fish immediately after bleeding and the goal is to redesign the equipment from scratch. The new design will be vertical in the ships instead of being horizontal on the processing deck, as has been the case until now, "says Sæmundur, but at the same time changing the design itself, the goal is to be more automated than before and to increase the quality of the raw material. Sæmundur says that the Dragon equipment that is now in ships has proven to be very good and has the advantage that the volume utilization of the production deck will be good, but it is very important to make full use of the space. In short, it is a compartmentalized conveyor belt in a closed vessel, filled with seawater or refrigerant. The name Dragon is simply derived from the metaphor of tank belts.
"The idea behind the equipment is that all fish receive exactly the same length of treatment, which ensures uniformity in the handling of raw materials. Fish that enter the Dragon go into a chamber that is formed between two kicks on the belt and then go a full circle in the tank belt and are constantly submerged in sea or coolant. With the speed of the belt, it is possible to control how long the fish are in the bleed, but one of the goals of this new project is to increase the automation in time management and feeding of fish into the Dragon, "says Sæmundur, but the length of the Dragon varies depending on the size of vessels and processing deck space.

Innovative thinking
The vertical design of the new Dragon in the ships of Skinney-Þinganes and Gjögur is interesting as a lot of floor space is saved on the processing deck. The dragon will reach from the processing deck and down to the ship's train and the space will be closed.
"This means that the fish comes out of the bleeding, goes into the Dragon and then travels in it down to the train and then comes up again from where it then continues in cooling and in a basket. Ideologically, this is very simple, but the project is solving various technical aspects such as cleaning, maintenance of the equipment and more. The basic idea that the fish receive equal treatment in a sea bath while it is bleeding is the same as before, but the idea of vertical equipment that goes down into the train is new and very interesting, "says Sæmundur, but the construction of the four trawlers has come a long way in Norway and this equipment will be put on board later in the year.

Bleeding is especially important in salted fish processing
There has been and has been a great deal of spotlight in recent years on catch management from the first stage at sea, and in particular there have been changes in the cooling of the raw material. Emphasis is placed on cooling the fish as soon as possible after it comes on board. Sæmundur says that within Matís there is a great deal of knowledge about these processes, as the company has been an active participant in this development with fisheries companies and manufacturers of technical equipment for fishing vessels and fish processing plants. He says the bleeding factor is no less important than the cooling, especially in the case of fish that goes into salting.
"At the beginning of this project, we review the results of the use of Dragon Equipment in the ships of Skinney-Þinganes and the results were very good, ie. that a 10 to 15% higher proportion of fish by this method resulted in higher quality categories of products in salted fish processing. Bleeding is especially important for salted fish processing. Bad-blooded fish that goes into salt becomes a poorer product after the processing process and therefore ends up in less expensive product categories. That's why bleeding is no less important than the cooling itself, "says Sæmundur.

Next Thursday, Auður Filippusdóttir will give her MS lecture in food science. Her project is about starting a small production of ice cream from raw milk from the farm Skútustaðir in Mývatnssveit.

The aim of the project was to increase knowledge about ice cream production by reading accessible information, visiting ice cream shops around Iceland as well as participating in a theoretical and practical course in ice making at the University of Reading, England.

• To prepare a quality manual and business plan for "straight from the farm" ice cream.
• To plan and apply for a permit for ice making in Skútustaðir
• To start the development of unique ice cream with skyr.

A screening experiment was performed on skyr, but the results showed that the most interesting was the best amount of skyr in the ice, as well as using possible skyr powder instead of stirred skyr. The author also found that other binders and emulsifiers were probably more suitable. Equipment, however, plays a major role when it comes to making ice cream, and the author will therefore continue to develop the recipe when it has a proper ice machine and facilities. The project supervisors are Guðjón Þorkelsson and Þórarinn Egill Sveinsson. Examiner is Dr. Kolbrún Sveinsdóttir. The lecture takes place in hall 311 in Esja in Matís, Vínlandsleið 14, Reykjavík and starts at 15:00.

The joint Nordic project on fishmeal and fish oil is about to be completed. The main objective of the project was to define the state of knowledge of fishmeal with a view to shedding light on where further research is needed. The results of the project can be used by both industry and the research community as a guide to progress. The project was carried out with the association of fishmeal producers in Europe EU-fishmeal, DTU Food & Aqua in Denmark, Nofima in Norway and received a grant from the Nordic Council of Ministers (AG-fisk).

Companies such as were involved in the project FF Skagen in Denmark, Sea edge in the Faroe Islands and Triple Nine in Norway. Marvin Ingi Einarsson, Industrial Engineer at Matís, was in charge of project management.

The main results of the project indicate that the quality of raw materials, fishmeal and fish oil is still not sufficiently well defined. The emphasis so far has been on the chemical content of fishmeal, with less emphasis on the positive health effects of using fishmeal and fish oil in feed. There is also a need to better link the effects of raw material handling and the effects of processing processes on both nutritional and natural factors.

The project led to a workshop in Copenhagen where many people from the fishmeal industry in Europe and experts in this field came together. One of the conclusions of the meeting was that in order to further strengthen the market position and competitiveness of producers, the fishmeal industry needs to gain a better knowledge of the needs of its customers and what it is that buyers are really looking for. There is a need to establish better communication channels between parties in the value chain, from fishmeal producers to consumers. It is important to establish a plan for how communication between the parties should be structured and subsequently formulate a clear research policy.

The project report can be found here.

Matvælaland's conference, on the uniqueness of Icelandic food production, took place on Wednesday, April 10 last. at the Hilton Reykjavík Nordica. The title was "What can I offer you to eat?" - Uniqueness and competitive advantage in food production".

The conference discussed the value of the specialty and the challenges that many nations face in their food production. Demands for safe food, gaining a foothold, respect for the environment and resources, improving public health and healthy livestock will have a major impact on food production worldwide in the coming years.

Matvælalandin is run by the Confederation of Icelandic Industries, the Icelandic Farmers' Association, Matís, Íslandsstofa, the Icelandic Tourism Association, the Icelandic Fisheries Association, Matarauður Íslands and the University of Iceland.

Recordings of the conference papers are now available here .

On Monday 27 May 2019, a doctoral defense will take place at the Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Iceland. Stephen Knobloch is defending his doctoral dissertation "Symbiosis in the sea sponge Halichondria panicea (e. Host microbe symbiosis in the marine sponge Halichondria panicea).

Opponents will be Dr. Detmer Sipkema, Associate Professor of Marine Ecology at the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands and Dr. Ólafur Sigmar Andrésson, Professor of Genetics at the Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland. Eva Benediktsdóttir, Associate Professor of Microbiology at the Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland.

Supervisor and doctoral committee was Dr. Viggó Þór Marteinsson, professor at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition, University of Iceland and professional leader at Matís. The doctoral committee also included Dr. Ragnar Jóhannsson, director of aquaculture and fish farming at the Marine Research Institute.

Dr. Snæbjörn Pálsson, professor and vice-dean of the Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Iceland, will chair the ceremony, which will take place in room 132 in Askja at 13-15.  

Abstract
Fungi (Phylum Porifera) are considered one of the oldest living species in the animal kingdom. Their close relationship with microorganisms makes them interesting and suitable for research into the first forms of symbiosis of animals and microorganisms and to increase our general understanding of this preserved interaction and its function. In addition, many sponges and their symbiotic microorganisms produce bioactive compounds that make them interesting for the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.

In this study, the diversity of the symbiotic microorganisms of H. panicea fungi, which was taken from the Icelandic marine environment, was examined by marker gene differentiation, as well as the sequencing of metagenomes and genomes (genomes) of cultured bacteria. H. panicea, from the Icelandic environment, is shown to house one dominant bacterial species. The species, which was named "Candidatus Halicondribacter symbioticus", is also found in other H. panicea fungi that have been studied from different places and regardless of the seasons. However, other coexisting microorganisms are unconditional and more bound to place and time. Analysis of the genome of the dominant condition of the bacterium shows that a common control gene is missing in its genome. It is consistent with the conditioned form of coexistence, but a lack of control genes is common in certain gene families associated with the coexistence form and its defenses. Even though a gene cluster for the synthesis of the bioactive substance bacteriocin is present in "Candidatus Halichondribacter symbioticus", it does not appear to be involved in the production of bioactive substances or secondary metabolites.
The symbiotic microorganism “Ca. H. symbioticus” in the marine sponge H. panicea is a suitable model for research on the interaction between symbiotic microorganisms and animals. The results from this study therefore lay the foundation for future research on such an interaction.

About the doctoral dissertation
Stephen Knobloch was born in 1987 in Toronto, Canada. He graduated in Applied Sciences from the University of Bremerhaven in Germany and received a BSc degree in Maritime Technologies, with an emphasis in marine biotechnology. He completed his postgraduate studies at the University of Rostock in Germany, where he graduated with a Master's degree (MSc) in Aquaculture in 2013.
In 2014, he began his doctoral studies at the University of Iceland as a grant recipient in the European project "BluePharmTrain" under the auspices of Marie Curie ITN (Innovative Training Networks). Stephen has taught autumn courses in master's studies at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition at the University of Iceland from 2016 to 2018 and is the project manager of the AVS project "FishGutHealth" from 2017.

Stephen lives in Reykjavík with his wife Rebecca and two children, Sascha born in 2014 and Nora born in 2017, both in Iceland.

See also website University of Iceland.

Practical student projects on the development of the fisheries sector will be discussed when Master's students in the Faculty of Food Science at the University of Iceland give their MS lectures on Tuesday 28 May 2019 in Matís, Vínlandsleið 12, in meeting room 312. Everyone is welcome!

Kl. 15:00 moves Snæfríður Arnardóttir his thesis:
„Ringworms in fresh fillets of Atlantic cod. Possible ways to remove or kill roundworms in fresh fish or reduce their mobility. " (Nematodes in fresh Atlantic cod fillets. Possible methods to remove or kill nematodes from fresh fish or decrease their mobility.)

Objectives of the project was exploring ways to remove or kill ringworm in fresh fish without affecting the quality of the fillet. It was investigated using electric shocks at different voltages, sound waves at different frequencies and ozone. The mobility of roundworms was also examined in aerated packaging (MAP) at 4 ° C on the one hand and -0.5 ° C on the other.

Supervisors: Professor Sigurjón Arason, Professor María Guðjónsdóttir and PhD student Hildur Inga Sveinsdóttir.

Examiner: Sveinn Víkingur Árnason engineer.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________Kl. 15:45 moves Aníta Elíasdóttir his thesis:
"Effects of different raw material handling and cold storage on the chemical properties of cod heads." (Effect of different processing method and frozen storage on chemical properties of the various parts of the cod head.)

Objectives of the project was primarily to examine the possibility of utilizing the various parts of the cod head, in addition to examining the effects of different processing methods on board fishing vessels and cold storage on the chemical properties of different parts of the cod head, ie. gills, cheeks, gels, eyes and brain.

Supervisors: Professor Sigurjón Arason, Professor María Guðjónsdóttir and PhD student Hildur Inga Sveinsdóttir.

Examiner: Dr. Kristín Anna Þórarinsdóttir
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kl. 16:30 moves Britney Sharline Kasmiran his thesis:
"Physicochemical properties and potential utilization of side raw materials of yellowfin and albacore tuna." (Chemical composition and utilization of by-products of yellowfin and albacore tuna.)

Supervisors: Professor María Guðjónsdóttir, Professor Sigurjón Arason, Dr. Magnea Karlsdóttir

The MS thesis committee was: María Guðjónsdóttir, Sigurjón Arason, Magnea Karlsdóttir, Tumi Tómasson, Hildur Inga Sveinsdóttir

Examiner: Kristín Anna Þórarinsdóttir