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Matís' annual report for the operating year 2012 has been published. The report places great emphasis on value creation and how the food and biotechnology industry can be the backbone of sustainable value creation for the Icelandic nation.

It is important that the knowledge becomes a product and a value
At Matís, emphasis is placed on utilization and market thinking in all projects and activities of the company, because the rapid dissemination and utilization of knowledge is no less important than the basic research itself when it comes to products on the market. There are great opportunities for Matís to implement and market the results of research and development projects, which will lead to increased value creation for the Icelandic industries and to prosperity for the public in Iceland.

Value creation is therefore a key word in all of Matís' work, whether it is in collaboration with parties in Iceland or abroad. The annual report shows just a few examples of projects where Matís has played a role and has already returned value to the parties involved in the projects, whether looking at Matís as a company, its employees, customers or owners, ie. the Icelandic state.

The report can be found here.

For further information Steinar B. Aðalbjörnsson, marketing director of Matís.

"In my opinion, the potential for innovation in food processing in Iceland is very great", says Haraldur Hallgrímsson, division manager at Matís.

"This is one of the big industries in Iceland and we are very good at producing first-class food. When we look at the world picture for the future, it is clear that an increasing population calls for more and better food, and with increased prosperity in developing countries, world food prices rise. We Icelanders have all the means to take advantage of the opportunities that come with it and Matís has a lot to contribute to that value creation, "says Haraldur Hallgrímsson, who took over the position of Head of Innovation and Consumers in 2012.

Consumer expectations must be met
According to Haraldur, Matís' strength in service to the food industry is based on many things. Production and technical knowledge, consulting on product and raw material handling, transport technology, consulting on product development, packaging, marketing, assistance with financing innovation projects and much more.

"In this area, we work to support the market-driven value chain of the Icelandic food industry by always thinking first about the market, defining and researching consumer expectations and wishes. Then we go to the manufacturers and help them meet these expectations. It is the basis for a successful product that is popular in the market, "says Haraldur, whose field is the Matís division, which works most with pioneers in food production. Haraldur emphasizes, however, that the division's customers cover the entire flora, from the smallest to the largest.

"All projects and companies have been small in the beginning but have since grown. I am convinced that all over the country there are good innovation ideas in food production that can help get on the right track, develop for the right market and achieve good results. I mean not only production for the domestic market but also for the foreign market. We are far from becoming mass producers who compete on a price basis in anything other than fish, but we do not want to compete on the basis of low wages but on the basis of quality, high technology and strong marketing. As a result, we should look to serve higher-paying specialty markets. There are opportunities there, "says Haraldur.

Most successful to work with locals
The stage includes food factories in Höfn and Flúðir, but the food factory in Höfn has firmly established itself in recent years. Through the food factories, many innovative projects have become a reality related to small-scale production in agriculture, but emphasis will be placed on further strengthening work with entrepreneurs in the fisheries sector in the coming months. In the summer of 2012, Matís opened offices in Grundarfjörður and Patreksfjörður, which Haraldur says underline the company's policy of collaborating with local residents on projects based on regional resources and opportunities.

"Our experience is that it works best when we work together with local people on projects. They will then have more harmony in the local community and the results will be greater and more visible to the people in the areas. Our approach from Matís is to support entrepreneurs and companies in the areas to implement their ideas, "says Haraldur, but in Grundarfjörður the office is located in a building with the Snæfellingar upper secondary school. The aim of the establishment is to support projects based on the utilization of seafood from Breiðafjörður, for example biochemical processing from large algae and the utilization of underutilized raw materials such as fish slag.

With the location of Matís' office in Patreksfjörður, Haraldur says he intends to support the development of aquaculture in the southern Westfjords. "These new offices at Breiðafjörður work closely together. Like the locals, we look at the possibilities of the area as a whole, from Snæfellsnes to the southern part of the Westfjords, "says Haraldur.

Slaughter of catfish is no less a fertilizer than cow dung. This is shown by experiments that Matís made in collaboration with Atvinnuþróunarfélag Suðurlands, a fishing company in Þorlákshöfn and Sigurður Ágústsson, a farmer in Birtingarholt in Hrunamannahreppur.

Reportedly Ásbjörn Jónsson, project manager at Matís, experiments have been carried out by Landgræðsla ríkisins with the activity of fish manure as a soil fertilizer in comparison with various types of livestock manure such as horse manure, manure, chicken manure and synthetic fertilizers. According to Ásbjörn, tests carried out on areas without vegetation in Gunnarsholt in the spring of 2010 revealed that the fish log increased vegetation cover considerably compared to many types of organic fertilizer. Last summer, experiments were continued in collaboration with farmer Sigurður in Birtingarholt, but then cultivated fields were compared where on the one hand cow manure was used as fertilizer and on the other hand fish manure. After a two-month sprint, the hay obtained from the experimental fields was examined and the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content were compared, but these are the substances that are most important in organic fertilizers. The results showed that there was much more nitrogen content in hay obtained from plowed fields than from plots where manure was used as fertilizer. However, the phosphorus and potassium contents were similar in these fields.

Ásbjörn says that research on the utilization of fish catches has been carried out by Matís since 2010 and various experiments have been carried out which, among other things, aim to increase the shelf life of the catches, which annually generate around 2400 tonnes of fish catches in Þorlákshöfn. Until now, formic acid has mainly been used to increase the shelf life of fish fillets, but it is expensive and therefore people's eyes have been focused on whether it can be committed with skyrmys, but annually about 3 million liters of it fall at Mjólkurbúi flóamanna in Selfoss and is only part of it utilized. Experiments indicate that skyrmysa can be used to a large extent with formic acid for this purpose.

A similar collaboration has taken place between the Silfurstjörnan fish farm in Öxarfjörður, the University of Akureyri and Matís.

Among the food companies that have used Matís' expertise is Íslensk bláskel og sjávargróður ehf. in Stykkishólmur.

The company, which was founded in 2007, collects and grows mussels and collects seaweed in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way in several places in Breiðafjörður. "We have had a pleasant collaboration with Matís for several years. There are many very talented scientists with extensive experience that are good to look for, "says Símon Sturluson, one of the owners. He says that it is very important that Matís' knowledge network extends far beyond the rocks so that they do not have the knowledge they need each time, they know where to look for it and can access it.

Following on from the mussel farm, the company has now started experimental exports of dried kelp to Denmark, Norway and Spain. Símon says that the kelp is usually sold dried, as this is by far the best storage method. "The market for kelp products is very large, we consider ourselves to be of high quality and therefore want a good price for our products. That's why we avoid all unnecessary intermediaries and try to sell directly to the restaurants, for example. This is all coming but it happens in the calm heat, "says Símon.

Every other year, conferences on sensory evaluation and consumer research are held in the Nordic countries, and Matís has taken part in their preparation.

The next conference, which is the 15th in a row, will be held in Helsinki on the 22nd-23rd. May 2013 and is entitled "Innovations in sensory evaluation and how to reach different consumer groups (Novel sensory approaches and Targeting different consumer groups).

The conference is intended for both professionals in the food industry and scientists in this field. The interest and participation of people from both large and small food companies in attending these conferences has steadily increased in recent years, as it is an ideal forum for industry and scientists to meet and establish a communication network in this field. About 100 people are expected, mostly from the Nordic countries.

The topics of the conference this time are innovations in sensory assessment and how to reach different consumer groups such as children, the elderly and those who are health-conscious. Emilía Martinsdóttir, Matís' director, is on the conference's preparation and science committee. She will speak at the conference, which is based on the results of the Nordic project Enrichment of Seafood and is, among other things, carried out in collaboration with the company Grím kokk. Dr. Kolbrún Sveinsdóttir, director of Matís, will give a talk on young people's fish consumption and how it can be increased. The conference will also feature presentations on food that appeals to older people, but interest in this issue is growing rapidly in the Nordic countries and in Europe.  

Registration runs until April 19. The conference fee is lower if booked before 31 January 2013. People in the food industry in this country and others who are interested in this topic are encouraged to register their participation as soon as possible. 

Sensory evaluation and sensory evaluation research have long been an important area of expertise at Matís, and the emphasis has increasingly been on consumer research. Matís has participated in many domestic and foreign research projects regarding sensory evaluation and food quality and held various sensory evaluation courses for employees of fish processing companies and other food companies. Matís' staff has also taught sensory assessment and consumer studies at the Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Iceland and at Fisheries Science at the University of Akureyri. Matís staff also teaches sensory evaluation at the United Nations Fisheries Academy.

Further information Emilia Martinsdóttir at Matís.

"Matís' biotechnology center in Sauðárkrókur plays an important role in biotechnology research. The concept of biotechnology is increasingly used in discussions about innovation in the economy, and results have already been demonstrated in research projects in the field of biotechnology that have yielded valuable bioactive substances, both for domestic product production and export, "says Dr. Hólmfríður Sveinsdóttir, project manager at Matís.

An example of this is the UNA skin products, which are based on the bioactivity of substances from seaweed that originate, for example, in Breiðafjörður. Part of the research on the bubble seaweed took place at Líftæknismiðja Matís in Sauðárkrókur, but the products are manufactured in Reykjavík, so it can be said that the entire development and production process has a contact surface in a large part of the country.

Matís Biotechnology Center is located in one of the most powerful food processing districts in the country, Skagafjörður. There she works alongside companies in the seafood production, meat and dairy industries that have taken advantage of the proximity in collaboration on research projects. An example of this is a project for FISK Seafood that aims to increase the traceability of the company's seafood products. Matís in Sauðárkrókur also has significant collaboration with Hólar University, thus achieving better utilization of both research facilities and an increased common knowledge base in the area.

"The bioactivity of substances is of great value. Research at the Biotechnology Center focuses on the positive effects of fish proteins on blood pressure and the positive effects of seaweed and seaweed substances on blood sugar. When this bioactivity has been demonstrated by research, the value of the bioactive substances multiplies. There is a lot of work to be done, "says Hólmfríður.

Marel has long been a key player in the fish processing chain in Iceland with its technical equipment where emphasis is placed on raw material quality and processing speed. Matís' collaboration with Marel is extensive and both parties benefit significantly from it.

"Within Marel, extensive and valuable knowledge has been built up of processing technology in the food industry, not least in the fisheries sector," says Sigurjón Arason, chief engineer at Matís and professor of food engineering at the University of Iceland.

There has been a collaboration between Matís and Marel for many years and, for example, two of Sigurjón's students now work for the company but were previously Matís employees. Both of them worked on projects related to fish processing companies in their work at Matís, and Sigurjón says that it is valuable that their knowledge is used in technological development within Marel.

"Collaboration between us is first and foremost project-related and from Matís we invest in the development of our research capacity and knowledge of raw materials and the effects of processing on it. It is essential to look at the entire fish processing process, from fishing to the consumer, as it is not possible to create good fish products if the quality of the raw material is not available. Technology can never make up for poor raw materials, "says Sigurjón.

"In recent years, researchers have become increasingly involved in the development, both the development of technological solutions such as at Marel and research into the floor at the processing companies. After all, we sometimes say that there are our best experimental rooms in the research work. There we can test ourselves further, make our measurements and use the results as soon as they are created. Matís is therefore very important to be able to work alongside companies such as Marel and at the same time increase our relationship and cooperation with the fish processing companies. It is to the advantage of the Icelandic fishing industry.

Today, the research work is increasingly about the development of the processing processes as a whole, and as a result we look at the raw material treatment at sea, as well as factors related to the transport of products to the market, packaging of products and so on. The process itself looks at the integration of technical equipment, and in time this development may lead to changes that in the future will be referred to as a revolution. The goal is to create even better products - even more value from what the resource provides, "says Sigurjón Arason.

"With the establishment of a division for education and food production, we make Matís' activities and role more prominent and better connect the business community, education, research and development of food," says Guðjón Þorkelsson about the new field of education and food production that started working within Matís on the 1st. June 2012.

Grants both Matís and the food companies
Guðjón says that through collaboration with educational institutions and vocational training, Matís is following up on the emphasis on research and innovation in the field of food for the benefit of the economy, public health and food safety. 

"Another main reason for the collaboration is efficiency in the form of shared use of staff and facilities. The other reason, and the one that is of great importance to Matís and the food companies, is to get students to work on practical research projects and thus gain training to become the companies' future employees. Matís is a very large research company on an Icelandic scale and here is a great deal of expertise and experience that needs to be utilized in teaching, guidance and vocational training in food processing. We are also lucky to have received first-class facilities in many places in the country that are also used for the same purpose, "says Guðjón.

The teaching component has already become extensive
Despite the fact that teaching, vocational training and guidance of students in research studies have so far not been in a fixed and organized form as a field within Matís, Guðjón says the scope of these aspects is very large.

"Matís employees teach about 25 courses in undergraduate and graduate studies and supervise most of them. Numerous students in master's and doctoral studies at Icelandic universities have worked on their research projects at Matís and almost always in collaboration with the business community. We are in good cooperation and have joint employees with the University of Iceland and the University of Akureyri. The collaboration with the University of Iceland is mostly at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition, but also extensively at the School of Engineering and Natural Sciences and the School of Social Sciences. Matís works extensively with the School of Business and Science at the University of Akureyri, mainly in aquaculture and fisheries sciences. Due to previous work and research, I have a strong desire to revive and strengthen the collaboration with the Agricultural University of Iceland. Hólar University and Matís are in a joint building at Verin in Sauðárkrókur and work together on many projects.

All of these parties have worked on a project to establish an international master's program in food science in connection with the food industry in the country. This course has been led by Matís and the University of Iceland and 12 students started the course this autumn, "says Guðjón, but most of the teaching is at Matís in Reykjavík, but teaching also takes place in Akureyri. In connection with the study, two Matís specialists, Hörður G. Kristinsson and Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir, were appointed visiting professors at the University of Iceland.

"I have full faith that the international master's program will strengthen and become very prominent in the coming years. Cooperation on other sectors will also be strengthened. Our task must also be to link vocational training, technical studies and other university studies related to food to the economy. We also need to work on strengthening vocational training / vocational rehabilitation related to food with an emphasis on small-scale food production and collaboration with Beint frá býli, "says Guðjón Þorkelsson division manager at Matís.