Origin and life history 186 Atlantic salmon caught within the Icelandic fisheries jurisdiction were investigated using DNA mapping to assess the origin and scales and mills to find out how long the salmon have stayed in freshwater and sea. This study was conducted at Matís in collaboration with Veiðimálastofnun, Marine Research Institute and Directorate of Fisheries.
Most of the samples were from salmon that was in its first year at sea or 72.8%. The lifespan of freshwater varied from one year to five and the average freshwater age of salmon was 2.6 years. Most salmon had been in freshwater for two years or 42% and 28% had been in freshwater for three years.
A database on the origin of salmon stocks in 284 European rivers was used to study the origin. It turned out that the 68% samples were traced to mainland Europe and the British Isles, 30% were traced to Scandinavia and northern Russia, but only 2% salmon were from Iceland.
This study shows that the sea area south and east of Iceland is an important feeding ground for Atlantic salmon, and especially for salmon from the British Isles and southern Europe. The low proportion of salmon of Icelandic origin came as a surprise and indicates that Icelandic salmon use another grazing area.
The study is described in more detail ICES Web site.
Detailed information is provided by the first author of the article, Kristinn Ólafsson at Matís.
The Faculty of Food and Nutrition at the University of Iceland and Matís have entered into an agreement between them on continued collaboration in the field of teaching and research. Inga Þórsdóttir, President of the School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, and Sveinn Margeirsson, CEO of Matís, signed the agreement yesterday. The agreement ensures continued collaboration on developing and improving studies in food and nutrition at the University of Iceland. The agreement further strengthens the strong collaboration between the University of Iceland and Matís.
The main points of the agreement between the Faculty of Food and Nutrition and Matís are:
Ensure an acceptable number of students in food and nutrition at the University of Iceland.
Develop and improve studies in food and nutrition at the University of Iceland and thus ensure professional uniqueness in order to attract students and scholars on an international level.
Collaborate on more projects that link the disciplines of food science, food safety, biotechnology and nutrition. We will continue to work together on the development of equipment, databases and other infrastructure.
Students can work on research and development projects under the guidance of Matís staff under the supervision of permanent teachers or visiting professors from the Faculty of Food and Nutrition and in accordance with the University of Iceland's rules on the qualifications of supervisors.
From left: Sigrún Mjöll Halldórsdóttir, project manager at Matís, Sveinn Margeirsson, CEO of Matís, Guðjón Þorkelsson, president of the Faculty of Food and Nutrition and division manager at Matís, Inga Þórsdóttir, president of the School of Health Sciences and Þórhallur Ingi Halldórsson, professor at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition.
The Faculty of Food and Nutrition and Matís have had a good collaboration on teaching for a long time, but Matís' employees have traditionally taught at the faculty. The collaboration has now increased even further as two Matís employees have been given a permanent position at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition at the University of Iceland and one employee of the faculty has been given a permanent position at Matís.
Björn Viðar Aðalbjörnsson, a specialist at Matís, has held the position of 20% Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition since 1 January 2015.
Sigrún Mjöll Halldórsdóttir, project manager at Matís, will hold the position of Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition from 1 January 2016.
Alfons Ramel, professor at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition, will hold the position of specialist at Matís 20% as of January 1, 2016.
Matís is a leader in Iceland in research in the field of food production and food safety. Matís' policy is to strengthen the competitiveness of Icelandic products and the economy, improve public health, ensure food security and sustainable use of the environment through research, innovation and services in the fields of food, biotechnology and genetic engineering. In order to implement its policy, it is necessary for Matís to work in collaboration with the University of Iceland on teaching and training students.
The Faculty of Food and Nutrition is one of the most powerful units of the University of Iceland in research facilities for each full-time equivalent of teachers. The faculty strives to be at the forefront with high-quality research and teaching that can be compared on an international level. The collaboration with Matís supports these goals. There is also a strong emphasis on collaboration with institutions and companies such as Matís in the University of Iceland's policy.
Further information is provided by Inga Þórsdóttir and Sveinn Margeirsson.
Snorri Hreggviðsson, Margildi ehf., Won first prize in the competition The Future Policy Idea of the Fisheries Conference 2015.
The idea is to produce Marlys, mackerel, herring and capelin for human consumption. Margildi ehf. has developed a new and unique processing method, so-called rapid cold cleaning, which makes it possible to cold clean fish oil from pelagic species. Until now, it has not been possible to cold-clean efficiently and fully purify the aforementioned fish oil for human consumption due to the large amount of saturated and long-chain monounsaturated fatty acids in the fish oil.
Margildi has worked on the project with the engineering firm EFLA, Matís, KPMG, Alta ráðgjöf, Kanon Architects, the University of Akureyri, the Association of Southern Municipalities (SASS), the Association of Municipalities in East Iceland (SSA), the Ministry of Industry and Innovation, AVS and Sjávarklasan. Experimental raw materials have been obtained from HB Grandi, Síldarvinnslan and Eskja, as well as Vinnslustöðin and Ísfélagið in the Westman Islands.
Matís 'experts have been involved in the project and Matís' facilities have used the project to advance it.
The Fisheries Conference 2015 will be held at Hilton Reykjavík Nordica from 19 to 20 November
The aim of the Fisheries Conference is to bring together in one place a cross-section of the Icelandic fisheries sector to work for progress. The Fisheries Conference is a forum where people meet, strengthen relationships and co-operate in the industry.
Matís has a booth at the conference where technical solutions and collaborative projects are presented. Birgir Örn Smárason, PhD student at Matís, will speak at the conference. Rannveig Björnsdóttir, director, is on the board of the Fisheries Conference.
Dr. Hrönn Jörundsdóttir has been appointed Administrative Secretary by the Executive Board of the SAFE Consortium, the European Organization for Food Safety.
Hrönn holds a PhD in chemistry and is a project manager at Matís and received his doctorate from Stockholm University. She is an expert in environmental chemistry, food safety and risk assessment, and has led several national and international research projects in this field.
Hrönn will assist in the operation and management of the association, including overseeing publications, communicating with members of the association and presenting SAFE to stakeholders. Hrönn has extensive experience in issues related to food safety, environmental quality, communication with the media and promotions, and will therefore be a powerful addition to SAFE's management team.
On January 22, 2009, an agreement was signed between the State Employees' Pension Fund (LSR) on the one hand and the Ministry of Finance and Matís ohf. Id. 670906-0190, on the other hand, on the annual settlement of liabilities due to the employees of Matís ohf. according to Article 33 Act no. 1/1997 on the State Employees' Pension Fund. This agreement entered into force on 1 January 2007 when Matís ohf. was founded.
Obligations due to employees of Matís ohf. who are members of Division B of LSR are settled annually and Matís' payment for them was ISK 11.9 million in 2014. It should be noted that this obligation did not become clear until about two years after the company began operations and it has not been added separately.
For further information, contact Sveinn Margeirsson, CEO of Matís, at 858-5125.
Matís collaborates extensively with the University of Iceland, as well as other state-run universities, to ensure good cooperation between the business community and the university community. The company works on development and innovation in the food industry, biotechnology and food safety.
"Within Matís, there are very diverse activities. There are many specialties here that work in both the food industry and biotechnology. There is a strong connection with the business world and the university environment, "says Hörður G. Kristinsson, Matís' research director.
Master's and doctoral studies in food science are offered at the University of Iceland. The program is a collaborative project between Matís and the Faculty of Nutrition at the University of Iceland. There are three courses available, production management, quality management and a biotechnology line. The doctoral program includes scientific and technical research projects that lead to new knowledge and innovation. Great emphasis is placed on publishing research results in peer-reviewed international journals at the end of their doctoral studies.
Emphasis is placed on practical learning, which includes collaboration with companies and institutions in the field of food production. The opportunities are great in Icelandic food production, which is reflected in the demand and job opportunities for education. The program is useful for those who have completed undergraduate studies in food science or other natural sciences such as chemistry, biology and engineering. It is useful for all those who are interested in playing a leading role in the food and biotechnology industry in management, innovation or research.
Just now, a meeting of the MareFrame project ended. The meeting was with Icelandic stakeholders, a cross-section of the stakeholders affected by fisheries management.
Matís, the University of Iceland and the Marine Research Institute are participants in the European research and development project MareFrame (http://www.mareframe.eu).
One of the goals of the MareFrame is to develop and utilize ecosystem models to assist in fisheries decision-making.
An important part of this process is to take into account the emphases and opinions of different stakeholders when making the models and when making decisions. Biological, ecological, economic and social factors must be taken into account.
At the meeting, MareFrame was introduced and the work that has been done in the project in this country.
Further information about the MareFrame project can be found on the project's website and Matís' website.
Cyprian Ogombe Odoli will defend his doctoral dissertation in food science on Thursday 22 October. The ceremony takes place in the Celebration Hall of the University of Iceland and starts at 14:00.
The thesis is entitled: Drying and smoking of capelin (mallotus villosus) and sardine (sardinella gibbosa) - the influence on physicochemical properties and consumer acceptance.
Opponents are dr. Morten Sivertsvik, professor and division manager at Nofima, Norway, and dr. Hjörleifur Einarsson, professor at the Faculty of Natural Resources at the University of Akureyri.
The supervisor of the project was Sigurjón Arason, chief engineer at Matís and professor at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition at the University of Iceland. In addition to him, Guðjón Þorkelsson, director of Matís and professor at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition at the University of Iceland, dr. Kolbrún Sveinsdóttir, project manager at Matís, dr. Tumi Tómasson, director of the United Nations University School of Fisheries, and Ásbjörn Jónsson, project manager at Matís.
Dr. Þórhallur Ingi Halldórsson, professor at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition, University of Iceland, will chair the ceremony.
Abstract
Drying and smoking are cost-effective preservation methods commonly used in developing countries, where underdeveloped transport processes restrict the marketing of fresh fish. In East Africa, dried and smoked fish is an important source of protein in the diet of the population. Small fish, mainly sardines, are usually placed in brine and pre-cooked to stop enzyme activity and microbial growth before being dried outdoors. The dried fish is often of poor quality and its sales are limited to lower-income groups shopping in outdoor markets. At the same time, there is an increasing demand among middle-class consumers for dried and smoked small fish in supermarkets that meets their quality requirements. This demand could be met through imports or improved processing methods. The aim of this study was to improve the quality and safety of small fish processing and to examine consumers' reactions to a new product such as dried capelin caught in Iceland, which is not known in the markets in East Africa. The effects of preheating, drying and smoking on product quality were assessed, as well as the effect of packaging methods on fat degradation. Sensory evaluation properties and the amount of microorganisms in dried and smoked products were also examined. Finally, the goal was to set a goal for healthy dried sardines and imported dried capelin.
Conventional drying and pre-drying for sardine and capelin drying resulted in lower product quality, poorer sensory evaluation and lower protein quality. The amount of fat in capelin is seasonal and when capelin with a fat content of 9-10% instead of 7-7.5% was dried, the drying took longer and the moisture content of the final product increased. At the same time, the fat reduced the deformation of proteins during the processing process. Under controlled drying conditions, the quality of the products increased, which indicates that it is necessary to develop a dryer for processing small fish. In dried and smoked capelin and sardines, a high proportion of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were detected, exactly 13% in capelin and 20% in sardines. Hot-smoked capelin and sardines had a higher fat content, less moisture content and increased stability against microorganisms, compared to a cold-smoked product, but hot smoking reduced utilization. The fat content affected the hydrolysis of proteins, oxidation of fats and improved sensory evaluation properties during storage of smoked and dried capelin. Fat degradation was highest in low-fat capelin, while development was highest in high-fat capelin. Packing smoked and dried fatty capelin in anaerobic packaging resulted in less fat degradation and fewer microorganisms. Packaging did not affect fat breakdown.
Hot-smoked fish in anaerobic packaging retained its original properties after four weeks of storage. Dried capelin with a moisture content below 25% and a water activity below 0.7 is stored undamaged at room temperature for five months in anaerobic packaging. Improved processing processes for drying sardines and capelin yielded good results and the product was well received by consumers of traditional dried small fish in Kenya. The results of this study show that dried and smoked small fish can be a very nutritious food and if the processing and packaging procedures are correct, the consumption of these products could significantly reduce malnutrition prevalent in developing countries.
About the doctoral dissertation
Cyprian Ogombe Odoli was born in Kenya in 1974. In 2006, he graduated United Nations University School of Fisheries and subsequently the school has supported him for master's and doctoral studies. Cyprian graduated with an MS in food science from the University of Iceland in 2009 and enrolled in a doctoral program at the same department three years later, in 2012. He is married to Hellen Namugeere and they have two children.
This year's conference title: What are the ingredients in the food? Do we know that? Urgent need for databases & their maintenance.
The day was this time dedicated to a discussion of specific databases that keep track of the nutritional value and chemical content of food, both Icelandic and imported. The importance of these databases is unequivocal, without which it is not possible to calculate the nutritional value of meals, menus and products, or to assess contaminants in the diet.
