Matís has done a project on utilization rate and chemical content of lamb meat and by-products for Íslenskt lamb ehf. and Hafliði Halldórsson is in charge, but the project is funded by the Food Fund.
Due to progress in breeding in recent years, there was a lack of data on the utilization of lamb meat. Utilization rate for lamb was found by deboning the number of lamb carcasses. The carcasses were divided into meat, fat, bones and tendons. In this way, the meat industry receives data for planning and cost and margin calculations.
Extensive chemical analyzes have been carried out on lamb meat, offal and selected organs. Emphasis was placed on the measurements of protein and fat, which determine the energy value, but measurements of water, the total amount of minerals and selected vitamins and heavy metals are also carried out.
Among the interesting results, it can be mentioned that B12 vitamin was found in sufficient quantities to be able to publish information about it under nutrition labels. Measurements were not only made of nutrients, but also of heavy metals, which are considered undesirable substances. The amount of heavy metals in the lamb was not measurable.
Figure 1: Julija Igorsdóttir at the ICP-mass spectrometer used for measuring heavy metals.
Picture 2: Svanhildur Hauksdóttir weighs out a sample of lamb's liver to measure the water content.
"It is really possible to develop food products for people and feed for animals that contain these ingredients. Products that are, as a result, in many cases a healthier and more environmentally friendly option." This is what Birgir Örn Smárason, professional manager at Matís says, but for the past four years he has led a large collaborative project where alternative proteins have been the research topic. The project is now coming to an end and a harvest festival is ahead when the final conference will be held in Bremerhaven on September 7 and 8.
The NextGenProteins project is a collaborative project of 21 parties from 10 European countries, but Birgir Örn led it and other Matís staff worked on various aspects of it. The main objective of the project was to develop, optimize and optimize the production of three sustainably produced neoproteins, and verify their use in various foods and feeds.
"In short, it can be said that all the objectives of the project have been achieved. Of course, there will be some small changes in focus over the course of the project due to new ideas or results, but overall the plan was a complete success and everything that was supposed to be delivered was delivered."
The new proteins examined in the project are insect protein derived from by-products of food production, single-cell protein which is a yeast mass that thrives on the sugars of forestry products, and microalgae grown largely on CO2 emissions from geothermal power generation. We worked with a number of companies on the development of feed and food, which were then tested by consumers and in feed trials. The production of these proteins is, by most comparisons, sustainable and environmentally friendly, with a much lower carbon footprint and requiring less water and land use.
"We also demonstrated ways to work with consumers and gain their consent, and presented strategic proposals to simplify and change government regulations and policies towards a more sustainable food system."
Good cooperation in challenging times
The past four years have in many ways been particularly challenging for collaborative projects between different parties and different research groups between countries, as the pandemic put a damper on things. Birgir says that the cooperation has been incredibly successful. It was possible to use the technology during meetings, but the project's relatives had to exercise their patience while waiting for the results of various measurements due to the closures at the laboratories.
"despite all this, it can be said that the project went as planned, and it is therefore best to thank a strong group of participants who have all worked hard to achieve the project's goals. We can also mention a good group within Matís who has led the project forward."
Kick-off meeting of the project
Greenish chickens
Various interesting and unexpected things can be revealed during pioneering research work like this, and Birgir recalls the challenges that arose when developing foods and feeds with microalgae protein. "The green color in microalgae is so strong that even in small amounts it takes over everything. In one experiment where chickens were to be fed feed containing microalgae protein, the feathers turned green!” With increased research work, it was later possible to develop ways to reduce or remove the color and dampen the taste, making it easier to develop food products and feed.
Great interest in the issue and a follow-up project in the making
According to Birgis, further research is needed and there is a lot of interest in the issue. The results of the project need to be worked on, showing how it is possible to scale up the production of new proteins and bring them to market with the approval of consumers and the government. Furthermore, work needs to be started to introduce neoproteins to consumers, show their advantages and explain the production process and why this can be a healthier and more sustainable option. The foundation for such work was laid in the project, which will be useful in the future.
Sensory evaluation of products with neoproteins
"Matís has been working on projects related to new proteins and sustainable food systems for a long time and has joined the group of leading people who conduct such research. We will of course build on this and continue this journey. Our goal is to have a positive effect on food production as a whole, whether we look at Iceland or Europe, with sustainability as a guiding light for the good of all".
The final conference of the project will take place on September 7 and 8, and it will be a sort of harvest festival. Birgir says he is most excited to meet the group again. The project went through all the waves of Covid which meant that we could not meet for more than 2 years which is very unusual for such a collaborative project and uncomfortable for many. "It will therefore be nice to be able to celebrate the success with all the participants of the project and discuss the next steps".
We encourage those who are interested to follow the results of the project, which will gradually appear on its website NextGenProteins.eu and even sign up for the final conference. It is possible to watch the conference online.
Margrét Geirsdóttir and Birgir prepare a talk about NGP at Innovation Week 2022Valur Norðri Gunnlaugsson and Birgir at the opening meeting of NGP
Recently, the web media Austurfrétt published a review of the updates to Matís equipment in Neskaupstaður that have taken place in recent seasons.
The coverage included an interview with Stefán Þór Eysteinsson, professional manager, who told about the latest addition in biomass plant Matís which is operated in Neskaupstaður, but it is a kind of centrifuge. In the biomass plant, you can find technologically perfect processing equipment that is well suited for the development and production of proteins and oils from by-products of food processing that can be used either in feed production or for human consumption and food production.
According to Stefán, the centrifuge is a definite backbone of the biomass plant's equipment complex and enables Matís to study almost all biomass that can potentially be further processed into some kind of product. In addition, the device allows us to scale up more with the aim of better simulating the real conditions at the customer's production site.
The news on Austurfrétt.is can be read in its entirety here:
Students in the second year of product design at the Iceland University of the Arts visited Matís recently to get to know the activities and projects that are carried out here, but they placed special emphasis on how food will look in the future.
In the product design program, students receive, among other things, training in working on design projects in collaboration with associations, companies and institutions in society such as Matís. Þóra Valsdóttir, project manager at Matís, introduced them to the activities and the diverse projects that have been carried out here, before accompanying them around the building where they could see the facilities that Matís has to offer. Afterwards, the students had the opportunity to view VR videos from the project Future Kitchen in virtual reality glasses where the possibilities for the kitchen of the future are examined.
The videos are available on Matís' Youtube channel here:
The students were accompanied by the head of product design, Elínar Margot, who emphasizes that second-year students learn about food design and focus especially on how food and the culture around it will look in the future using the methodology of speculative design (e.speculative design).
The students asked about all kinds of diverse projects, so it will be interesting to see what they will do in the program and in the years to come.
Since 2005, the North Atlantic Seafood Forum (NASF) has been an annual event where managers and stakeholders in the fishing industry and aquaculture meet in Bergen to learn about the main innovations and compare books.
This time, NASF will be held on March 5 – 7, 2024, and around 1,000 people are expected to attend the event. The target group of this three-day conference are managers and investors in the fishing industry, aquaculture and related industries, ie device manufacturers, marketing companies, banks, insurance companies, carriers, consulting companies, etc.
Among the things offered in the program is an entrepreneurship and innovation competition. 10 entrepreneurs will be given the opportunity to present their solutions and compete for great prizes. This is an extremely good opportunity for entrepreneurs to draw attention to their solutions that benefit the fishing industry and aquaculture. You can see the companies that were nominated at NASF23 here. Applications for NASF24 are now open. Are more information and registration sheets available here and we encourage Icelandic entrepreneurs to apply.
Awareness has been raised about the importance of reducing the use of single-use packaging, and this is especially true for the use of plastic.
The consumer market has recently called for environmentally friendly packaging, and there is a loud demand for less use of plastic in the vegetable value chain. Producers and sellers are faced with the fact that using plastic is the easiest way to reduce the moisture loss of vegetables and thus preserve their quality and shelf life. The plastic is also used to differentiate products and to arrange pieces together in sales units.
Matís' staff has worked on a project aimed at highlighting the facts about vegetable packaging. Vegetables as a living tissue, the properties of the various packaging materials and environmental effects, especially the harmful effects of chemicals in plastic, were discussed.
You can read about all this and more in Matís's report:
At Matís, numerous projects have been carried out aimed at promoting knowledge about vegetables for the benefit of the public, the food industry and other interested parties. Matís' subjects cover a large part of the value chain of vegetables, from harvest all the way to the consumer's table. Domestic vegetable production only contributes more than 40% of all the vegetables consumed in Iceland. Therefore, the country's food security could be increased by increasing vegetable production.
There are more reasons to focus on vegetables. Vegetables have a lot of health value and this is confirmed in the new Nordic nutritional recommendations that you can see here and here. Increased consumption of vegetables can reduce the risk of stomach and lung cancers and also cardiovascular diseases. It is recommended to consume 500-800 grams of vegetables, fruits and berries daily. This is much more than most Icelanders currently consume National dietary survey. It is best to consume a wide variety of these foods and limit the consumption of processed foods with added sugar. Vegetables, fruits and berries are important sources of nutrients such as fiber and vitamins C, E and K along with folate.
It is worth noting that Matís employees are currently working on a new vegetable website with support from the Horticulture Development Fund. The online book will be available on Matís' website and will deal specifically with results from Matís' projects. Methods to maximize the quality and shelf life of vegetables, measures to reduce their waste, packaging instructions, nutritional value and processing of valuable substances from by-products of vegetable production can be mentioned. These points will be explained in an accessible way and there will be links to the detailed discussion and the reports themselves. It is hoped that this initiative will increase interest in vegetables and contribute to their increased consumption. An example of Matís' project on vegetables can be seen here.
"We need to realize that we are facing big challenges," says Jónas Viðarsson in an interview on Rásar 2's Morgunútvarp and mentions the growing protein shortage in the world in that context. "This relates to both food safety and food safety, i.e. that we both have enough and wholesome food for us into the future. This is a big challenge for the world as a whole and part of what we at Matís are working on every day."
He points out that there are many projects underway in Iceland aimed at creating more food. "We in Iceland can teach the world a lot in relation to full utilization, especially of fish," says Jónas, but adds that Icelandic consumers have a rather large carbon footprint compared to other nations.
Jónas points out that Matís is at the forefront of research and development of alternative proteins in Europe. "It is one of the things that we see will be part of the solutions, ie to come in with a new source of protein." In that context, he mentions research on microalgae, kelp, bacteria or protozoa, and then insects.
The interview can be accessed in its entirety here (starts at minute 33:50).
Salvör Jónsdóttir was recently elected the new chairman of Matís. She succeeds Hákon Stefánsson, who has held the position since 2019.
Salvör completed his master's degree in planning at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has worked in planning for decades. Among other things, she has worked in the organization of the food system in the United States and for years was the director of the planning department at the City of Reykjavík. In addition, she has held the position of assistant professor at HR. Salvör is currently working on her doctoral research at the Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences of the University of Iceland, where she examines aspects of the natural and social sciences with the aim of improving production systems in agriculture with regard to sustainable development. In the study, attention is paid to food security in Iceland.
We thank Hákon Stefánsson for a job well done and extend a warm welcome to Salvár Jónsdóttir.
