News

Very good results from Matís' service survey

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Peer-reviewed articles

The ability of in vitro antioxidant assays to predict the efficiency of a cod protein hydrolyzate and brown seaweed extract to prevent oxidation in marine food model systems

BACKGROUND

The ability of different in vitro antioxidant assays to predict the efficiency of cod protein hydrolyzate (CPH) and Fucus vesiculosus ethyl acetate extract (EA) towards lipid oxidation in haemoglobin-fortified washed cod mince and iron-containing cod liver oil emulsion was evaluated. The progression of oxidation was followed by sensory analysis, lipid hydroperoxides and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) in both systems, as well as loss of redness and protein carbonyls in the cod system.

RESULTS

The in vitro tests revealed high reducing capacity, high DPPH radical scavenging properties and a high oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) value of the EA which also inhibited lipid and protein oxidation in the cod model system. The CPH had a high metal chelating capacity and was efficient against oxidation in the cod liver oil emulsion.

CONCLUSION

The results indicate that the F. vesiculosus extract has a potential as an excellent natural antioxidant against lipid oxidation in fish muscle foods while protein hydrolysates are more promising for fish oil emulsions. The usefulness of in vitro assays to predict the antioxidant properties of new natural ingredients in foods thus depends on the knowledge about the food systems, particularly the main pro-oxidants present. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry

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Peer-reviewed articles

Exploring the Microbiology of the Deep Sea

In this chapter the current knowledge of the diversity of piezophiles isolated so far is reviewed. The isolated piezophiles originated from high-pressure environments such as the cold deep sea, hydrothermal vents, and crustal rocks. Several "stress" conditions can be experienced in these environments, in particular high hydrostatic pressure (HHP). Discoveries of abundant life in diverse high-pressure environments (deep biosphere) support the existence and an adaptation of life to HHP. At least 50 piezophilic and piezotolerant Bacteria and Archaea have been isolated from different deep-sea environments but these do not by far cover the large metabolic diversity of known microorganisms thriving in deep biospheres. The field of biology of piezophiles has suffered essentially from the requirements for high-pressure retaining sample containers and culturing laboratory equipment, which is technically complicated and expensive. Only a few prototypes of HHP bioreactors have been developed by a number of research groups and this could explain the limited number of piezophiles isolated up till now.

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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

EN