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Matís was a participant in a conference organized by CCFI (The Canadian Center for Fisheries Innovation) www.ccfi.ca) 15.-16. last November but the conference (Process Automation in Seafood Processing www.ccfi.co/workshop) discussed the future of technology and the use of automation in fish processing in Canada.

In recent years, technological development in pelagic and catfish processing has accelerated rapidly in Iceland and other countries are now looking to us and the results that have been achieved here.

The Icelandic representatives at the conference were Sæmundur Elíasson from Matís and Ögmundur Knútsson from the University of Akureyri.

Sæmundur's talk was about the technological development that has taken place in the Icelandic fishing industry. In pelagic processing, the result has been that fishing and processing processes are mostly automatic and nowhere in the process does the human hand touch the fish. The procedure increases food safety and facilitates product traceability through the processing processes.

The catfish processing plant in Iceland has traditionally required more hard work in processing, but recent technological solutions are reversing this trend so that more jobs are being transferred to quality management and control. In the land processing of catfish, there has been a revolution in fillet cutting technology, which now takes place in automatic machines. Larger processes also have technologically advanced packaging and finishing of products where robots take care of the work.

A factor in the technologicalization of Icelanders has also stretched its wings to the sea, where the control of bleeding and cooling processes has increased. The latest trawlers will also be equipped with automation for moving tanks from the middle deck and down to the ships' trains, a development that will revolutionize the working environment of seafarers and increase both human safety and catch on board. Finally, the presentation reviewed the incentives and challenges of the parties involved in technological development, where the cooperation of the manufacturer, developer, research and government is a key factor in success.

Ögmundur's talk dealt with the history and development of the Icelandic fisheries sector, where the development of fisheries management, fishing, the fleet was reviewed and placed in the context of value creation, which has increased considerably in recent decades. Despite less catches, Icelanders have managed to increase the value creation of the fish that comes from the sea with improved utilization and more valuable products. Technology and automation have played a major role in this development and also helped to standardize production and extend the shelf life of fresh products, which is important for Icelanders due to their distance from markets.

Icelanders 'emphasis on this technological development has created opportunities for exporting technological solutions, and Canadians' interest did not go unnoticed. Their conditions are in many ways different, as the greatest value of seafood is in crab, lobster and shellfish processing. Great emphasis is placed on these valuable species while catfish and pelagic fish meet the surplus. It aroused the interest of Canadians how much value Icelanders can create from that raw material and there was also a lot of talk about the efficiency of the Icelandic fisheries management system in comparison with the Canadian one.

It is clear that technologicalization and the automation of the fisheries sector lead to many opportunities, and it is interesting that Icelanders are a leading force in this development. This development will create a need for increased education and expertise in the industry and change jobs in the fisheries sector, where production capacity and product quality increase significantly.

Increased value of data - projects funded by AVS. The aim of the project is to design and set up a central product description system for Icelandic seafood, which provides a much greater possibility for a detailed analysis of exports than the customs register system alone can offer.

The project is led by the Association of Companies in the Fisheries Sector and Matís ohf, but also includes the Directorate of Customs, Statistics Iceland, Icelandic Group, Iceland Seafood International, Ögurvík hf, Brim hf and Markó Partners.

It has always been difficult to estimate the volume of exports and the value of individual species, as many tariff codes contain the words "other", "other" or "other" and therefore do not indicate the type of fish in question. The value of these products was over ISK 20 billion in 2014 and the third most valuable "species" after cod and mackerel products.
 
The lighthouse will, among other things, solve this and ensure reliable data on sustainable utilization and value creation in the Icelandic fisheries sector. The manufacturer's product descriptions will be standardized and based on the "Fish Industry Concepts". Product descriptions will be linked to the customs register and it will therefore be simpler to choose the correct customs register number when it comes to exports.
 
The lighthouse makes it possible to simplify the customs register as soon as new goods are immediately visible in the export documents. The lighthouse will make it possible for companies to better analyze their own position, opportunities for value creation, etc.
 
Vitans' employees are the computer scientists: Daníel Agnarsson and Friðrik Valdimarsson, they are based at SFS and have the e-mail address: vitinn@sfs.is
 
Vitan's project manager is Ingvi Georgsson at SFS ( ingvi@sfs.is )
 
Matís' project manager is Páll Gunnar Pálsson ( pallp@matis.is )

Marel and Matís present a new video that shows how modern technology has completely changed processing methods in fish processing and made Iceland a focal point for development and innovation in the industry.

Requirements for quality, traceability and processing speed are very important in fish processing. Marel works closely with companies in the fisheries sector and has developed various solutions in collaboration with the most progressive fish producers in Iceland, large and small. These device and software solutions enable manufacturers to maximize utilization, performance and profitability.

Marel has a research group that works to increase knowledge of new technology in collaboration with a number of companies, universities and research institutes in Iceland and abroad. With constant innovation in mind, Marel has transformed from a start-up company into a world leader in its field.

About Marel and Matís

Marel is one of Iceland's largest export companies and a world leader in the development and production of advanced equipment and systems for fish processing. Marel employs over 4,700 people worldwide. 

Matís provides advice and services around the world to companies in the fisheries and agriculture sectors, as well as the Icelandic state. Matís works on the development of new products and processes for companies through the application of science and has an important role to play in terms of food quality and safety.

A new article was published in issue 29/2016 of the scientific journal Icelandic Agricultural Sciences and can be accessed at http://www.ias.is/landbunadur/wgsamvef.nsf/key2/bsinaawuad.html

The article is called "Avian abundance and communities in areas revegetated with exotic versus native plant species"And is by Brynja Davíðsdóttir, Tómas Grétar Gunnarsson, Guðmund Halldórsson and Bjarni Diðrik Sigurðsson.

The authors studied the effects of different land reclamation measures on the density and species composition of birds and on the number of small animals. In 26 places in the country were compared; a) uncultivated area, b) restoration of peatlands and c) land that had been replanted with Alaska lupine. There was a great difference in the number of birds between vegetations. On uncultivated land, there were an average of 31 birds per square kilometer, 337 on reclaimed peatlands and 627 on land that had been replanted with lupine. As there were more birds, there were also more small animals that are important birds' food. 

The restoration of peatlands was mostly about wading birds, a species that is declining worldwide, but in lupins there was more about more common species. Heiðlóa and lóuþræll were the most common species in the restoration of peatlands, but horsetail and tufted duck in lupine. The density of some bird species seemed to depend on the level of development of land reclamation areas. This study shows that land reclamation increases the biodiversity of animal species, but different land reclamation measures lead to different ecosystem developments.

3X Technology and Matís, in collaboration with companies in Iceland (The peninsula, FISH Seafood and Iceprotein), in Norway (Grieg Seafood), Finland (Hätälä) and Denmark (Norway Seafood), have for some time now been working on research into supercooling and its effects on the processing and quality of marine products. 3X and Matís are among three parties that have been nominated for Sviföld 2016, The avant-garde idea of the Fisheries Conference, but the results will be announced at the Fisheries Conference which will be held this week in Harpa. 

The Fisheries Conference is held every year and has established itself as the main communication platform for all those involved in the fisheries sector in Iceland. The nomination each time is a great honor but Gunnar Þórðarson, a consultant at Matís and station manager for the company in the Westfjords, has carried the heat and burden within Matís around this research project.

Svifaldan 2016 - from the website of the Fisheries Conference

Overcooling

Applicants have been conducting supercooling research for the past six months in collaboration with parties in Iceland, Norway, Finland and Denmark, with the support of the Nordic Innovation Center Nordic Innovation, as part of Nordic Marine Innovation 2.0. These are companies that conduct research, fishing, aquaculture, processing and further processing for the consumer market. The project will be completed by the end of next year, with the aim of bringing all results to the Nordic fishing and aquaculture industries as quickly as possible.

Gunnar Þórðarson, consultant at Matís and station manager for the company in the Westfjords 

Significant research has been carried out on the effects of supercooling on processing and product quality in the fisheries and aquaculture production, and the results are decisive. Supercooling refers to the transfer of cooling energy into the fish muscle immediately after fishing / slaughter, as less than 20% of the water content is frozen. In demersal fish, the target is to cool down to -0.7 ° C and -1.5 ° C in salmon, which is fat and therefore has a lower freezing point. In both cases there is a phase change at these temperatures and it takes a considerable amount of energy to go below them. Extensive research has been done on supercooling and it has been shown that there is no damage to cells due to ice crystal formation as long as cooling is within the definition. There can be great opportunities in transporting super-chilled fresh fish (salmon / catfish) as a lot is saved by getting rid of ice in the transport chain, especially by air. About 10% of the weight of conventional products during transport is ice and therefore both financial and environmental benefits with the method. Reducing the footprint in the production and transport of fish products is an important marketing tool for the future.

Status of idea: Research project

Contacts Gunnar Þórðarson, Matís and Albert Högnason, 3X Technology

More on website of the Fisheries Conference

Reception of abstracts (abstracts) for presentations and poster presentations for all World Seafood Congress seminars, which will be held in Reykjavík from 10-13. September 2017.

Conditions

Excerpts must be related to the seminar in question, the poster or the contribution of the presentation must be explained for increased knowledge, discussion or awareness raising regarding the topics of the conference as a whole or individual seminars.

How to submit an extract?

Send an excerpt to the email address wsc2017@matis.is  where the following is stated (copy and paste the following eight items into the email and fill in the appropriate):

1. Name of seminar, date and time where a presentation is requested or a poster is connected (see more in the conference agenda The World Seafood Congress theme sessions).
2. Suggestion for poster name or presentation (maximum 80 characters)
3. Association / relationship
4. Name of speaker or author (s) of poster
5. Contact (if other than the speaker)
6. 150 word excerpt
7. Photograph and short biography of the speaker or the main author of a poster
8. Special requirements if any

Extracts will be accepted until December 15, 2016.

The WSC 2017 Scientific Committee will be guided by diversity in the selection of speakers / women and look at their background, relationships, ethnicity and gender.

WSC 2017 reserves the right to approve or reject one
or any extracts that may be received.

Further information: http://www.wsc2017.com/contact

Skaginn / 3X Technology in collaboration with Matís and Westfjords companies working in the fisheries and aquaculture industry, ie Arnarlax and Íslandssaga, with the support of the AVS Fisheries Research Fund, have studied the effects of supercooling on death stiffness in salmon and cod.

Local collaboration on projects that have an impact

The results of the project can be used to increase knowledge about the death stiffness of fish and thus be a contribution to the discussion on increased product quality. It is well known that fish stiffens at the onset of death and is more often than not treated in such a condition, moved between vessels after landing as well as being gutted and cared for. With a large and powerful contraction in the death rigidity, loosening can occur in fillets which reduces the quality of the raw material. It is important to adapt processing to lethal stiffening and control the process to prevent quality loss, such as loosening and poorer texture.

Comparison of conventional cooling and supercooling

The purpose of the study was, on the one hand, to investigate the effect of supercooling on death stiffness and to compare it with conventional cooling. Supercooling is defined as cooling below 0 ° C, but not in such a way that ice crystals form which can damage cells in the raw material. Another purpose of the project was to create promotional material that could be used to introduce stakeholders in the fisheries sector to the importance of managing the mortality process. Until now, death sterilization has been described with photographs and drawings, but in this project the aim was to take advantage of new opportunities for the dissemination of knowledge, such as videos.

The study

A study was conducted on cod and salmon and it was carried out at two different seasons for cod, but there can be great differences in the condition of the raw material depending on when the fish is caught. The study was twofold in that, on the one hand, data were obtained on the effect of cooling on the death solidification process, where the groups were compared; super-chilled and traditional and on the other hand promotional material was prepared.

Supercooling in cod is based on cooling down to -0.8 ° C and salmon at -1.5 ° C, while conventional cooling is based on 0 ° C for both species. Differences between groups were examined as well as comparing differences within groups. Small differences, standard deviations, within groups indicate a more accurate result.

Comparison of the quality of four-day-old salmon fillets, traditional left-hand side and super-chilled right-hand side

results

The results show that there is a large difference in the contraction of the mortality process depending on whether the fish is supercooled or uses conventional cooling. It can be concluded that there are benefits to using supercooling for lethal stiffness, which reduces contractions and consequently reduces tension between muscles and skeletal system in the process.

The results of the project show well the effect of increased cooling on the death solidification process and images can be useful as teaching material and for use in meetings and conferences. Videos of the death-hardening process in salmon and cod were posted on the Internet to distribute them as efficiently as possible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mKYQ_CFC_A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NE8JNG8esWA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2U3RYDAFic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYPbtkRogJ4

Discussion

In view of the fact that fillets cut from the spine before death stiffen are significantly shortened beyond the fillets on the spine throughout the process, the question must be answered as to whether this shortening has any effect on the quality of the products. Farmed fish are known to be filleted immediately after slaughter before the freezing process, so it is important to know the effect on taste and texture. It is also important to be able to measure the timing of when the death solidification process ends, but this requires accurate measurements that were outside the scope of this study.

For further information Gunnar Þórðarson, consultant at Matís and station manager for the company in the Westfjords.

Project: The effect of mortality on the quality of fish fillets - (R 16 014-16)

The allocation of funds for research and innovation is increasing and this development is in accordance with the policy of the Science and Technology Policy Council. International research and innovation co-operation plays a key role in dynamic research and development work in Iceland, where companies and the scientific community work together to strengthen and renew the economy. Foreign funding accounts for about a quarter of research and innovation work in Iceland. European co-operation on research and innovation is important to Icelanders.

Matís and Horizon2020 according to Vinnova 

Icelanders, Icelandic companies and Icelandic universities have increased the allocation of funds for research and innovation. Research and development pave the way for a vibrant economy for the future. Collaboration on research and development is important. It is important to maximize the impact of investment in research and innovation. It is important to have a solid and robust infrastructure for research and innovation.

Accordingly the policy of the Science and Technology Policy Council the allocation of funds for research and innovation has increased. The policy of the Science and Technology Policy Council is that the share of research and development amounts to 3% of GDP. By way of comparison, in Japan, the public sector assumes 1% of GDP for research and development and the private sector provides 3% of GDP for research and development, as recently stated. Like Statistics Iceland reported October 11 and was specifically pointed out in the press release The core as well as the leader of Morgunblaðið on October 12, the activities of research and development work have increased in this country. In 2013 the ratio was 1,76%, in 2014 the ratio was 2,01% and last year the expenditure on research and development was about 2,19% of GDP. The increased activity of innovation can to some extent be traced to the policy of the Science and Technology Policy Council and the follow-up of that policy, but without continued research and development work on the existing pillars, the increase would hardly have been reflected in statistics.

Companies, including Matís, have greatly increased the allocation of funds for research and development. Companies spent ISK 12.7 billion more on innovation in 2015 than in 2013, the largest difference being 6.2 billion more in expenditures proposed by foreign private parties, in 2015 it amounted to a total of 9.8 billion, and 6.1 billion more in expenditures by domestic private parties, amounted to a total of ISK 17 billion in 2015. It can also be concluded that almost ISK 700 million. The increase in public domestic funding for corporate innovation can be attributed to the policies of the Science and Technology Policy Council. The share of companies in research and development has grown from 56% in 2013 to 65% in 2015.

Division between emphases - Matís and Horizon2020
according to Vinnova 

University institutions spent 2.3 billion more on research and innovation in 2015 than in 2013, private funding for these activities decreased by almost 400 million, the increase was supported by public domestic contributions of approx. 2.6 billion higher in 2015 than in 2013.

Other public institutions spent 78 million more on innovation in 2015 than in 2013, this increase is explained by the fact that foreign private funding increased by 280 million, and domestic private contributions increased by almost 30 million at the same time as public domestic funding decreased by 140 million and public foreign funding decreased by 90 million.

The statistics indicate that the unbearable lack of capital has not destroyed all the patience of investors and capital. The return on investment in research and development is at best uncertain at the beginning of innovation and requires patience. Patient capital is hardly a myth, although the amounts need to increase by 17.9 billion to reach 3% of GDP. It is clear that part of the funds that private parties contribute to the operation of research and development parties are to some extent.

Matís and the European Research Program (RÁ) from the beginning - _{Matís' inner circle, then the partner countries and the outer ones are the companies, institutions and all the parties that Matís has collaborated with. -skv. Vinnova}

International research and innovation collaboration plays a key role in dynamic research and development work in Iceland, where companies and the scientific community work together to strengthen and renew the economy. Foreign funding accounts for about a quarter of research and innovation work in Iceland. The competitiveness of the country and the nation is largely based on investments in research and innovation. In order to build the country's competitiveness, it is important to create a strong infrastructure for research and innovation that is comparable to that of foreign parties. Innovation and diversity are part of the impact of current variables (e. Trendsetters). Through international co-operation, Icelanders' ability to learn new things increases. In recent years, Matís has strived for quality research and development collaboration, which is increasingly supporting the company's operations. This development is reflected in the statistics, as foreign funding for Icelandic research and innovation. The Icelandic Research Center, Rannís, manages one of the largest single platforms for international research and innovation in which Icelanders participate, ie. Framework Programs for Research and Innovation in Europe, now called Horizon 2020, this platform has been particularly important for Matís' development work.

_{Iceland's participation in Horizon 2020 projects until October 2016. Published with permission from Rannís.}

According to information from Rannís, Iceland has been successful in funding research and development cooperation with support through Horizon2020. Matís and the University of Iceland have been at the forefront of the energetic international collaboration of qualified Icelandic scientists, which is carried out with the support of Horizon2020. In this context, it can be mentioned that Matís participates in 12 of the 67 projects that Icelanders participate in within Horizon2020, the same number as the University of Iceland, these two pillars of research and development work in Iceland have clearly achieved good results on behalf of Iceland in this field (Hallgrímur Jónasson, Rannís October 2016). In 2015, Horizon 2020 received grants from Matís for 13% of public foreign funding for research and development work at companies in Iceland.

For further information Arnljótur B. Bergsson Head of Implementation and Impact. Information about Horizon2020 projects and Matís participation can be found here: www.horizon2020.is

The graphics in this article: Swedish Innovation Agency (Vinnova)