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News

Increased value of prepared dishes that have been enriched with ingredients from the sea

Some time ago, EnRichMar completed the project led by Matís. The project aimed to enrich food with hygiene from the sea, but the project was part of the 7th European Research Program for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (FP7 SME).

The aim of the project was to increase the value of prepared foods by enriching them with raw materials and ingredients from unused seafood and by-products from fish processing. Emphasis was placed on omega-3 fatty acids and algae extracts, which can have an increased and positive effect on the health and stability of the food and increase its taste quality.

results

The project has created new business opportunities within and outside the group that participated in EnRichMar. The participating companies that produce bioactive substances have moved one step further and have marketed bioactive substances for a variety of foods in new lucrative markets. The diversity of bioactive ingredients has also increased due to the planned marketing of new ready-made dishes developed in connection with the project. The participating companies have acquired valuable market information on target foods, consumers' views on target foods in important markets and developed enriched foods based on information obtained from the main target groups. In addition, participants have first-hand information on the physiological effects of consuming enriched foods. It was fundamental for each participating company to develop a new and more valuable business model that will have a positive effect on their results in the future.

Increasing the value of raw materials and products will lead to increased diversity in healthy prepared dishes and can thus contribute to improved public health. The results are also important for the European fisheries sector and the utilization of marine resources due to the increased value of tributaries from the fisheries sector and underutilized marine resources.

It should be noted that the beginning of this project can be traced to a grant from Increased value of the Seafood Fund (AVS). As a result, the Nordic countries became interested in the project and a similar project was funded Norden, Nordic Innovation, Nordic Innovation Fund. Eventually, the project expanded even further, adding another group of participants, resulting in the EnRichMar project discussed in this article.

Two Icelandic participants were in the project in addition to Matís. Marinox and Grímur kokkur were involved from the beginning and it is safe to say that the benefits were significant for these Icelandic participants:

Grímur kokkur, Grímur Gíslason:

"It has been very important for our company to be part of EnRichMar and the collaboration was very good. EnRichMar has opened up export opportunities, helped us make healthy food healthier, and solved problems related to the production of meals containing omega fatty acids. We will market two products developed in the project this summer "

Marinox, Rósa Jónsdóttir:

"The EnRichMar project is a key factor in enabling Marinox to scale up the production of bioactive seaweed concentrate, and we have also received important information on the composition, efficacy and clinical benefits of the seaweed concentrate. Furthermore, the participation has supported Marinox in business development as it has opened up new market opportunities, given us important insights into the market for food raw materials and additives and also strong connections with new partners in research and business ".

A list of all participants and their reviews can be found on the leaflet Increased value of convenience foods by enrichment with marine based raw materials.

For further information dr. Kolbrún Sveinsdóttir, project manager of EnRichMar. More about EnRichMar.

News

Skúli ST-75 boat of the month of May in a beauty contest

The first recognition for good catch management has reached the right hands. The crew of Skúli ST-75 sent us nice pictures of how they handle fish.

Beautiful fish - well done fathers!

When the father and son Haraldur Vignir Ingólfsson and Ingólfur Árni Haraldsson on Skúli ST-75 from Drangsnes arrived in the harbor yesterday, their stronghold was waiting with Már Ólafsson, board member of the National Association of Small Boat Owners (LS) and Smábátafélagið Ströndur at the forefront. The occasion was to present them with a prize for the best footage of the month of May in "Beautiful fishLS and Matís' efforts. They were rewarded with the abandonment of a GoPro camera, along with a certificate of recognition.

Ingólfur Árni and Haraldur Vignir receive prizes from Már Ólafsson.Skuli_ST-75_7_web

The campaign "Beautiful fish" is intended to promote increased awareness of the importance of good catch management and how important it is to practice good workmanship. By mobilizing fishermen in sharing pictures and stories where things are going well, LS and Matís hope to be able to do the best they can and at the same time encourage others to do the same.

With this recognition, LS and Matís want to increase awareness of the importance of good catch management and how important it is to pursue good work practices.

Sailors are encouraged to post photos and stories on the campaign's Facebook, Instagram or Twitter pages and get in the "pot" for the next award ceremony.

Dear sailors: please send in pictures that show exemplary workmanship, because the prize for the best pictures is not of the worse end.

Further instructions on participation can be found at http://www.matis.is/fallegurfiskur

Skuli_ST-75_4_web

News

New emphases in Matís' operations

In the past year, there has been vigorous strategic planning work at Matís. A very large part of the company's employees have been involved in this work, but in addition, work has been done in smaller groups and external assistance has been appreciated.

New emphases have emerged without having dropped from previous projects. Certain organizational changes have taken place as a result and Matís is now even better equipped to meet future challenges in the food and biotechnology industry, with an emphasis on increased value creation, increased food security and public health with strong support for our customers.

With new emphases, we would like to reiterate that Matís is a strong knowledge and science community based on strong research infrastructure and collaboration, with the aim of maximizing the impact of investments in research and innovation.

Matís' new organization chart.

News

Very good results from Matís' service survey

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At regular intervals, a service survey is conducted for customers of microorganisms and chemical measurements, services that are offered within Matís' measurement services division. The last survey was presented to customers a short time ago and it is safe to say that Matís' customers appreciate the service that the company offers. 

The results give a good overall picture of Matís 'customers' attitude towards the company's services. If some examples are taken from the results, the customers strongly agreed that Matís had met expectations regarding the quality and security of the results, as well as strongly agreed that the processing speed was good and strongly agreed that the employees had the knowledge and experience sought. In addition, customers strongly agreed that the approach of Matís employees is satisfactory, to name a few. 

These are really good results and Matís is a great encouragement. At the same time, it is an incentive to do better and serve our customers even better than we do now.

Overall results.

Various good and interesting comments were received from customers and we will try to respond to them as much as possible. The main comments were on the following points:

  • Comments were received on the implementation of the survey. Suggestions were made that a greater breakdown of customers would have been desirable, and this will be taken into account when planning the next service survey.
  • Requests for more types of chemical measurements were made. Although Matís has extensive and complete equipment, it is not possible to fully meet all requests, but on the other hand, Matís employees can find out and mediate in sending samples to sister institutions abroad in cases where it is not possible to offer on the relevant study here at home.
  • Comments on guidelines and interpretation of results. It is not possible to send out reference values with results, but customers are encouraged to contact us either by e-mail or by telephone, and employees are both kind and obliged to assist in any way they can. Both in terms of interpretation and evaluation of results.
  • Comment that Matís would set up a user area, where the customer would have access to everything regarding their research. This would certainly be possible and is both an ambitious and exciting but at the same time costly project that will hopefully become a reality in the future.
  • An update of the request sheets was requested, but this is an issue that is being worked on.
  • In addition, Matís received pleasing comments thanking for the good service, and it was clear that there is great satisfaction with the service. Matís' offices in Neskaupstaður.

Peer-reviewed articles

Enzyme-Enhanced Extraction of Antioxidant Ingredients from Algae

The effect of various protease and carbohydrase treatments on the extraction of polyphenols and other antioxidant ingredients from the red algae Palmaria palmata (dulse) was investigated. In addition, the relative contribution of different fractions to the overall antioxidant capacity of the hydrolyzate was evaluated. Considerable differences were observed both in total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activities of the hydrolysates evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) and ferrous ion-chelating ability assays . All the proteases tested had significant enhancing effect on the extraction of polyphenols and other active components compared to carbohydrases and cold water extraction (control). The Umamizyme extract had the highest TPC and consequently exhibited the strongest scavenging capacity against DPPH and peroxyl radicals. Further fractionation of the Umamizyme extract revealed that the crude polyphenol fraction possessed the highest peroxyl radical scavenging activity, whereas the crude polysaccharide fraction was more effective for chelating ferrous ions. The data from this study suggest the potential of protease treatment to improve value-added utilization of dulse extracts as antioxidants in functional foods and nutraceuticals.

Link to article

Peer-reviewed articles

Potential seaweed-based food ingredients to inhibit lipid oxidation in fish-oil-enriched mayonnaise

Brown seaweed Fucus vesiculosus has a high potential as a source of natural antioxidants due to a high diversity of bioactive compounds in its composition. In this study, four extracts were characterized with respect to composition of bioactive compounds, in vitro antioxidant properties and their partitioning between water and octanol. Additionally, the antioxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated in a fish-oil-enriched mayonnaise. Acetone and ethanol were found to extract the highest amount of phenolic compounds and carotenoids. Water used as extraction solvent, extracted some phenolic compounds but also higher amount of metals and chlorophyll derivatives. It was proposed that extracts with high phenolic content and low iron content, such as the acetone and ethanol extract, would have the highest potential as antioxidants in foods. This was confirmed in the storage trial, where these extracts showed higher antioxidant activity.

Link to article

Peer-reviewed articles

Blood pressure-lowering effects of long chain n-3 fatty acids from meals enriched with liquid fish oil and from microencapsulated powder

Diet plays an important role in the etiology of hypertension. Blood pressure (BP) -lowering properties of long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA) are promising. The aim was to investigate whether different formulations of fish oil differently affect blood pressure in community-dwelling adults. The hypothesis was that fish oil formulations would improve BP in comparison with a placebo.
In this 4-week randomized, placebo-controlled, doubly-blinded dietary intervention study, participants (N = 99,> 50 years) from the capital area of Iceland were randomized into three groups. Group 1 (n = 38) received 6 meals / week fortified with a liquid fish oil and placebo powder. Group 2 (n = 30) received conventional (unfortified) meals and microencapsulated powder. Group 3 (n = 31) was the control group which received conventional meals and placebo powder. Calculated on a weekly basis, the amount of EPA + DHA provided was 1.5 g / d. Systolic (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were measured before and after the intervention period.
Seventy-seven subjects finished the study (77.8%). Drop-out rates were not different between groups. According to multivariate statistics, endpoint SBP was lower in Group 1 (-7.0 mmHg, p = 0.037) and in Group 2 (-7.2 mmHg, p = 0.037) as compared with Group 3. There was no significant difference in DBP between the groups .
Our study shows that LC n-3 PUFA from microencapsulated powder are equally effective to significantly reduce SBP as LC n-3 PUFA from meals enriched with liquid fish oil in comparison with a control group.

Link to article

Peer-reviewed articles

Influence of thawing and storage methods and storage temperatures on bacterial diversity, growth kinetics, diversity and biogenic amine development in Atlantic Mackerel

Limited knowledge is currently available on the influence of fish thawing and subsequent storage conditions on bacterial growth kinetics, succession, and diversity alongside the production of biogenic amines. This study aimed to address these factors during the thawing and subsequent storage of mackerel. Thawing was either done fast in 18 ° C water for 2 h or slowly at 30 ° C overnight. Subsequent storage was at 30 ° C (ambient) for 36 h and 2 to 5 ° C (refrigerated) for 12 days. The cultivation methods used were total viable counts, hydrogen sulfide – producing bacteria, and Pseudomonas. Maximum growth rate, population density, and lag time were fitted on the counts using the Baranyi model. The bacterial diversity and succession were based on sequencing of 16S rRNA amplicons, and biogenic amines were quantified on high-pressure liquid chromatography – UV. The results show that lag time of hydrogen sulfide – producing bacteria was significantly affected by both thawing methods, and further, the interaction between thawing and storage significantly affected the maximum growth rate of these bacteria. However, the maximum growth rate of Pseudomonas was higher during refrigerated storage compared to storage at ambient temperature. Total viable counts showed longer lag time and reduced growth rate during refrigerated storage. Higher bacterial diversity was correlated to slow thawing and storage at ambient temperature compared with slow thawing and refrigerated storage. Overall, Acinetobacter and Psychrobacter genera were the dominant bacterial populations. The amine levels were low and could not be differentiated along the thawing and storage approaches, despite a clear increase in bacterial load, succession, and diversity. This corresponded well with the low abundance of biogenic amine – producing bacteria, with the exception of the genus Proteus, which was 8.6% in fast-thawed mackerel during storage at ambient temperature. This suggests that the decarboxylation potential is dependent on both microbial load and microbial community structure.

Link to article

Reports

Instructions for the cooling ability of slurry ice intended for chilling of fish products in fish containers

Published:

01/06/2016

Authors:

Björn Margeirsson, Sigurjón Arason, Þorsteinn Ingi Víglundsson, Magnea G. Karlsdóttir

Supported by:

AVS Fisheries Research Fund (R 034‐14)

Contact

Sigurjón Arason

Chief Engineer

sigurjon.arason@matis.is

Instructions for the cooling ability of slurry ice intended for chilling of fish products in fish containers

Objectives of the project Optimization of fresh fish transport is to improve the handling of fresh fish products in container transport and thereby increase their shelf life and the possibility of further transport by sea from Iceland. In work step 1, the aim is to estimate the appropriate amount and type of ice scraper to maintain the fish temperature at -1 ° C during transport in tanks. Heat transfer models are made from 340 PE and 460 PE food pots from Sæplast to estimate the required amount of ice scraper to maintain -1 ° C inside the pots, which is the optimal temperature for storing fresh whitefish products. Pre-cooling of fish products before packing in pots has a decisive effect on the amount of products that can be placed in pots if it is required to maintain the fish temperature -1 ° C. This is explained by the fact that with increasing fish temperature during packing, an increased amount of ice scraper is needed to lower the fish temperature to -1 ° C, thereby reducing the space for the fish inside the tank. The volume utilization of the pot, i.e. quantity of fish products in a tank, it is of course necessary to maximize in order to minimize transport costs and make sea transport of fish products packed in ice scrapers in a tank a viable alternative to sea transport in foam boxes. These guidelines should be used to estimate the amount of fish products that can be packed in 340 PE and 460 PE Sæplast tanks. The aim is to pack the fish in an ice scraper with a temperature of -1 ° C, an ice ratio of 35% and a salinity ratio of 1.2% and the amount of ice scraper is sufficient to maintain -1 ° C in an ice scraper and fish for four days at ambient temperatures between -1 ° C and 5 ° C. It should be noted that the instructions only take into account the need for refrigeration and not a possible, undesirable color that can be created on the bottom fish layers in a tank and can potentially cause loss of utilization and quality.

The aim of the project Optimization of fresh fish transport is to improve handling of sea transported fresh fish products, thereby improving their quality and increasing the possibility of sea transport from Iceland. The aim of work package no. 1 is to estimate the suitable quantity and type of slurry ice in order to maintain the optimal fish temperature of –1 ° C during transport in fish containers (tubs). Heat transfer models of 340 PE and 460 PE fish containers manufactured by Saeplast are developed for this purpose. Precooling of fresh fish products before packing in slurry ice in containers has a dominating effect on the maximum fish quantity, which can be packed in each container assuming a maintained fish temperature of –1 ° C. This is because an increased fish packing temperature increases the required amount of slurry ice in order to lower the fish temperature down to –1 ° C, thereby decreasing the volume for fish within the container. The fish quantity within the container must certainly be maximized in order to minimize the transport cost and make sea transport of fresh fish products in slurry ice in containers a viable option. These guidelines should be useful to estimate the fish quantity, which can be packed in 340 PE and 460 PE Saeplast containers. The temperature, ice ratio and salinity of the slurry ice assumed are –1 ° C, 35% and 1.2%, respectively. Furthermore, it is assumed that the amount of slurry ice applied is sufficient to maintain the slurry ice and fish at –1 ° C for four days at ambient temperature between –1 ° C and 5 ° C.

View report

Peer-reviewed articles

Biogeography of Marine Microorganisms

Marine microbial biogeography describes the occurrence and abundance of microbial taxa and aims to understand the mechanisms by which they are dispersed and then adapt to their environment. The development of novel technologies, such as Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) in combination with large-scale ocean sampling campaigns, generated a vast amount of taxonomic data that allowed for in-depth analyzes of biogeographic patterns. Globally occurring groups of microorganisms were detected that dominate the marine environment (eg, SAR11, SAR86, Roseobacter, and Vibrio), however, NGS data revealed the presence of distinct eco- and phylotypes within these clades and genera that showed clear ecological niche adaptation and different biogeographic distributions. Genome analyzes of these marine microorganisms helped to understand potential adaptive mechanisms that could explain why certain taxa are occurring ubiquitously and others are limited to certain regions and ecosystems. Marine microorganisms can employ a vast variety of adaptive mechanisms to deal with environmental parameters such as temperature, light or nutrient availability, for example through exploitation of specific energy sources or protective mechanisms against UV radiation or viruses. The availability or lack of physiological pathways and traits in ecotypes is then responsible for shaping the marine microbial biogeography.

Link to article

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