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News

Matís and the National Association of Small Boat Owners hold courses all over the country on catch management for small boat fishermen

The National Association of Small Boat Owners (LS) and Matís run courses all over the country on improved catch management. Matís' experts will give lectures and present the latest science in the handling of catch, how to handle it so that the highest price is obtained from its sale and consumers are satisfied with the quality.

The catch of small boats is the freshest raw material available, but to ensure even better that the fish processing industry and consumers get the best possible fish, it is important that small boat fishermen know well which factors have the greatest effect on quality.

The catch of small boats weighs heavily in the total catch volume and catch value of the population. Boats in this fishing category, for example, caught over 75 thousand tonnes in the quota year 2009/10 to the value of ISK 19.1 billion, and it is estimated that this catch has returned around ISK 38 billion to the economy in export value.

Due to the fact that the fishing pattern and facilities on board small boats are different from those of larger boats, the main emphases regarding catch management are specific to the small boat fleet. For this reason, Matís and the National Association of Small Boat Owners will run courses around the country where various basic aspects of catch management will be taught. The courses will be in the following places:

Upcoming courses:

  • Húsavík - Hall of the trade unions (Garðarsbraut 26) - 25 May at 20:00
  • Patreksfjörður - The Pirate House - May 25 at 20:00
  • Skagaströnd - Kántrýbær - May 26 at 20:00
  • Ísafjörður - Hotel Ísafjörður - 26 May at 20:00
  • Grindavík - Sjómannastofan Vör - 26 May at 20:00
  • Hornafjörður - Nýheimar - 27 May at 20:00
  • Egilsstaðir - Hotel Hérað - 30 May at 20:00
  • Drangsnes - Malarkaffi - 30 May at 20:00
  • Other courses advertised later 

The courses are open to everyone. No entry fee.
Each course takes approx. 2 hours

LS encourages its members to take advantage of this opportunity
and thus increase their knowledge in this field!


On the site, www.alltummat.is/fiskur/smabatar, various information on catch management that has a special purpose for small boat fishermen will be published, as well as a list of those who have attended the courses.

For further information Jónas R. Viðarsson at Matís.

News

The food factory in Flúðir opened in front of a large crowd

More than 70 people got on well yesterday in Matís' newest Matarsmiðja located in Flúðir.

Yesterday, Matarsmiðjan á Flúðir was formally opened with pomp and splendor. Many good guests attended and the individuals of the stakeholders who run Matarsmiðjan spoke. Jón Bjarnason, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, was the last to speak and formally opened Matarsmiðjan in a symbolic way with a table cut together with Vilberg Traustason, station manager from Matís, Ragnar Magnússon, head of Hrunamannahreppur and Gunnfríður Elín Hreiðarsdóttir, assistant to the minister (see photo).

Since 2010, work has been underway on the preparation of Matís' new office in Flúðir, which is the eighth outside the headquarters in Reykjavík. This is a so-called food factory, but Matís has built workshops like these with good results in Höfn in Hornafjörður and in Egilsstaðir.

Matarsmiðjan is run by Matís in collaboration with the municipalities in the uplands of Árnessýsla, Atvinnuþróunarfélag Suðurlands, Háskólafélag Suðurlands and Háskóli Íslands and is located at Iðjuslóð 1.

The purpose of Matarsmiðjan is e.g.

  • to promote small-scale food production in the South by offering facilities, education and advice
  • to promote higher education and employment opportunities in research and product development of food and related fields

For further information Vilberg Tryggvason at Matís but you can also find information about the office in Flúðir here.

News

Quality of drinking water in Heiðmörk

Monday, May 16, 2011, at 16:00 mun Hrólfur Sigurðsson from Matís will hold a master's lecture at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition at the University of Iceland on his project: "Analysis of measurement data in cold water quality control"

Master's lecture in the Faculty of Food and Nutrition / Hrólfur Sigurðsson

Starts: 16/05/2011 - 16:00
Ends: 16/05/2011 - 17:00		Location: Háskólatorgi
Further location: Room HT-101

Monday, May 16, 2011, at 16:00 mun Hrólfur Sigurðsson hold a master's lecture at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition at the University of Iceland on their project:

"Analysis of measurement data in cold water quality control"

Supervisors: Franklin Georgsson, Loftur Reimar Gissurarson

Examiner: Eyjólfur Reynisson

Guðjón Þorkelsson Associate Professor, directs the ceremony.

Abstract
The subject of the project is the microbial, chemical and physical quality of drinking water in Heiðmörk. The project is divided into three parts. In part one, an analysis is made of available measurement data from official inspections and internal inspections of Orkuveita Reykjavíkur's water supply in the capital area from the period 1997 - 2009. The processing of the data sought to answer questions about whether there have been significant changes in various microbial, chemical and the physical properties of drinking water over the last 13 years and a comparison with data from previous periods. In part two, a study was carried out on the microbial and physical quality of drinking water from the water intake area to several locations in Orkuveita Reykjavíkur's distribution system in the capital area. A special study was also conducted on different types of culture media in determining the total bacterial count. The purpose of this was to see the effect of the distribution system on the quality of the drinking water and to verify the results that came from project part one. In work part three, bacteria in the drinking water were species analyzed using molecular biological methods to obtain basic information about the microbial flora and its diversity in the drinking water from the Heiðmerkur area.

For further information Hrólfur Sigurðsson at Matís.

News

Formal opening of Matarsmiðjan in Flúðir

Since 2010, work has been underway on the preparation of Matís' new office in Flúðir, which is the eighth outside the headquarters in Reykjavík. This is a so-called food factory, but Matís has built workshops like these with good results in Höfn in Hornafjörður and in Egilsstaðir. It is now time for a formal opening, even though activities have been there for some time.

The food factory in Flúðir formally opens on Thursday 12 May 2011 at 14. Matarsmiðjan is run by Matís in collaboration with the municipalities in the uplands of Árnessýsla, Atvinnuþróunarfélag Suðurlands, Háskólafélag Suðurlands and Háskóli Íslands and is located at Iðjuslóð 1.

The purpose of the Food Workshop is

  • to promote small-scale food production in the South by offering facilities, education and advice
  • to promote higher education and employment opportunities in research and product development of food and related fields

An advertisement can be found here.

For further information Vilberg Tryggvason at Matís but you can also find information about the office in Flúðir here.

News

Use of reference substances in chemical analysis - Course organized by the Nordic Food Research Committee 25 May 2011

Course organized by the Nordic Food Research Committee on 26 May 2011.

The course is intended for employees in laboratories, quality managers and all those who purchase chemical analysis services. Reference substances are used in all types of chemical analyzes and the methodology for their use is the same regardless of the subject at each time.

Advisor: Lars Jorhem, National Food Administration, Uppsala, Sweden. He will travel all over the Nordic countries and hold the course. In Iceland, the course will be held in English.

Place and date:    Thursday 26 May 2011 at the Iceland Innovation Center (eastern house)
Timing:                    10:00 - 16:00 (registration from 09.30)

The course will cover the following topics:

  • Reference Materials (RMs) versus Certified Reference Materials (CRMs): What is the difference?
  • ISO Guides and CRMs, EU legislation, CODEX requirements
  • Interlaboratory studies: Differences and similarities between certification, validation and proficiency testing
  • How are CRMs made?
  • Recovery and bias: Relation to CRMs
  • Selection, use and misuse of CRMs
  • Estimation of bias using NMKL Procedure No. 9 (2007)
  • A short introduction to measurement uncertainty
  • Where to find CRMs and PT programs?

Registration is done through the Nordic Food Research Committee and requested to be sent to the e-mail address: nmkl@vetinst.no for Tuesday, May 10th. The course costs 2000 NOK and the amount is paid directly to the Nordic Food Research Commission. Included in course fee: Lunch, coffee and course materials.

Contact person for the course in Iceland is Guðjón Atli Auðunsson, e-mail: gudjonatli@nmi.is

Reports

Increased value of pelagic species - FINAL REPORT / Increased value of pelagic species

Published:

01/05/2011

Authors:

Lárus Þorvaldsson, Björn Margeirsson, Ásbjörn Jónsson, Sindri Sigurðsson (SVN), Ásgeir Gunnarsson (SÞ), Sigurjón Arason

Supported by:

AVS Fisheries Research Fund

Contact

Sigurjón Arason

Chief Engineer

sigurjon.arason@matis.is

Increased value of pelagic species - FINAL REPORT / Increased value of pelagic species

The main objective of the project Increasing the value of pelagic fish - improved refrigeration technology, which began in June 2008, was to lay the foundations for a new method of cooling and storing pelagic fish on board seiners. The result of improved cooling is that a higher proportion of the catch is useful for human consumption. Partners in the project were Matís, Síldarvinnslan (SVN) and Skinney Þinganes (UN). This report describes the main results and products of the project. Examples of products are heat transfer models of pelagic catches in ships and storage tanks on land and the integration of heat transfer models and quality forecast models, which make it possible to predict the quality of raw materials based on environmental temperature history. Heat distribution in pelagic vessel loads with different versions of cooling systems was mapped and storage temperatures were linked to quality measurements made during landing. From temperature and quality measurements it is clear that the frequency of defects in landed catch increases with increasing storage temperature. The main advantage of the MCS (Mixed Cooling System) cooling system, which combines CSW (Chilled Sea Water) and RSW (Refrigerated Sea Water) cooling systems, is that the system can reduce the inevitable temperature rise that occurs in a pre-cooled vessel following the pumping of catch in lestina. During the project, the Icelandic mackerel fishery was the largest and it can be stated that the results of the project have been used very well to improve the results of food processing of mackerel in this country and thus increase the product prices of a valuable species.  

The main aim of the research project Increased value of pelagic species - improved chilling methods, which was initiated in June 2008, was to develop a new method for chilling and storing pelagic species on board purse seiners resulting in more valuable products. This report describes the main results and products of the project. Examples include heat transfer models of pelagic fish stored in a ship hold and a storage tank onshore and coupling of the heat transfer models and quality forecasting models, which makes it possible to predict spoilage of pelagic species as a function of ambient temperature history. Temperature distributions in ship holds with different cooling systems were mapped and storage temperature related to quality measurements conducted during landing. The fault ratio of landed raw material clearly increased, indicating lower quality, with higher storage temperature. The main advantage of a mixed cooling system (MCS), which combines RSW and CSW systems, compared to using only RSW is a lower temperature increase in a precooled ship hold caused by loading the catch in the hold. During the project, the emphasis on mackerel fishing increased significantly around Iceland. It can be stated that the results of this project have been widely exploited in order to improve the yield of the mackerel and thereby increase the profitability of that valuable species.

View report

Reports

Traditional skyr. Comparison of home-made and factory-made skyr - Pre-survey / Traditional skyr. Comparison between homemade and industrial produced skyr - Preliminary study

Published:

01/05/2011

Authors:

Þóra Valsdóttir, Eyjólfur Reynisson, Nadine Knocke, Aðalheiður Ólafsdóttir, Þórarinn E. Sveinsson

Supported by:

Agricultural Productivity Fund

Contact

Þóra Valsdóttir

Project Manager

thora.valsdottir@matis.is

Traditional skyr. Comparison of home-made and factory-made skyr - Pre-survey / Traditional skyr. Comparison between homemade and industrial produced skyr - Preliminary study

Skyr is one of the few Icelandic products that can truly be said to be traditional. The few studies that have been done on traditional, home-made skyr, date from the first half of the 20th century. This report presents a preliminary study of home-made and factory-produced skyrs, focusing on the assessment of sensory properties and the analysis of microbial flora using recent genetic methods. Significant differences were detected in sensory factors. The number of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts was considerably higher in home-made skyr. The same types of lactic acid bacteria were detected in different manufacturers and were the same as have been detected in previous studies. Yeasts of the same genus were found on both farms but not in factory-made skyr. Although these are the same bacterial species, it is possible that different phenotypes can be found between farms. Therefore, it would be interesting to investigate the possible metabolic or genotypic variability between strains from different production sites and their effect on the properties of skyr.

Skyr is one of few Icelandic products which can be stated as traditional. Little research has been executed on traditional skyr, of which most from the first part of the 20th century. In this preliminary study, homemade and industrial skyr is compared based on sensory properties and microbiological composition. Significant difference was found on several sensory attributes. Number of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts was much greater in homemade than industrial skyr. Same species of lactic acid bacteria were identified as in previous studies, however only some of previously identified yeast genera were found. Larger part of DNA needs to be sequenced and culture independent methods employed for a more specific identification. Such analysis could provide possibilities on establishing metabolic or genotype difference between different production locations.

Reports

The uniqueness of traditional skyr / Uniqueness of traditional skyr

Published:

01/05/2011

Authors:

Þóra Valsdóttir, Þórarinn E. Sveinsson

Supported by:

Agricultural Productivity Fund

Contact

Þóra Valsdóttir

Project Manager

thora.valsdottir@matis.is

The uniqueness of traditional skyr / Uniqueness of traditional skyr

Skyr is an important part of the Icelandic heritage, since the settlement, but a dairy product under this same name was then known in all the Nordic countries. Skyrgerð, however, seems to have been preserved only in Iceland. Major changes have taken place in the production of skyr in the last century with the advent of its factory production, and there has been a discussion that traditional skyr should be affected. This summary will cover information gathering on traditional skyr production, a survey of where and how it is produced today, an overview of research, criteria and descriptions of traditional skyr, as well as the preparation of an application for international recognition of traditional skyr. . Such recognition can lead to an increase in the value of the product and contribute to the maintenance and growth of work knowledge that is currently in decline. This can boost local food production, diversify it and thereby increase the number of valuable jobs.

Skyr is an important part of Icelandic heritage, dating back to the settlement of the country. At that time skyr production existed as well in the other Nordic countries but seems to have vanished except for Iceland. With industrial production starting in the 20th century, processing of skyr has changed, and growing concern is of the maintenance of traditional skyr production. In this summation, overview of existing knowledge on traditional skyr production is made as well as opportunities for international recognition are discussed. Such recognition could be a tool for maintaining the traditional production and processing knowledge, as well as provide opportunities for local food production in rural areas.

Reports

Coloring of Arctic charr / Coloring of charr hold

Published:

01/05/2011

Authors:

Jón Árnason, Ólafur Ingi Sigurgeirsson, Gunnar Örn Kristjánsson, Jón Kjartan Jónsson, Turid Synnøve Aas and Trine Ytrestøyl, Manfred Phiscker

Supported by:

Technology Development Fund

Coloring of Arctic charr / Coloring of charr hold

An experiment was carried out with the aim of evaluating the activity of an organic pigment, Ecotone ™, and an inorganic pigment, Lucantin® Pink, on the coloration of char meat. The effect of 25% and 30% fat in feed on the activity of the pigments was also studied. All experimental items were tested in triplicate. The mean weight of the experimental fish was 564 g at the beginning of the experiment and 1381 g at the end of the experiment after 131 days. The temperature during the experimental period averaged 8 C̊ and the salinity of the broth was 20 ‰. The digestibility of astaxanthin in Lucantin® Pink was much higher than in Ecotone ™. The difference in body color measured by different methods turned out to be much smaller, which indicates a better utilization of the color in Lucantin® Pink. Little effect on body coloration was found by different amounts of fat in the feed and this was true for both pigments. The organic dye is more expensive to buy than the inorganic one and it results in approx. 5.5 % is more expensive to dye char with Ecotone ™ compared to Lucantin® Pink. During the analysis of the color of the feed at the beginning and at the end of the experiment 16 weeks later, it was found that there was a significant loss of color from the feed and that loss appeared to be independent of the type of color.

A feeding trial was conducted to compare the pigmenting efficiency of the biological colorant Ecotone ™ containg astaxanthin and prepared from the red yeast Phaffia rhodozyma, and the synthetic colorant Lucantin® Pink in Arctic charr. Both colorants were incorporated into diets containing either 25 or 30% lipid. All treatments were run in triplicate. The initial average weight of the fish was 564 g and the final weight 1381 g after a trial period of 131 days at 8 C̊ and 20 ‰ salinity. The digestibility of astaxanthin seems to be very much dependent upon the astaxanthin source. Differences in flesh color indicate a better utilization of astaxanthin from the synthetic source (Lucantin® Pink) as compared to the biological source (Ecotone ™). There was only a minor effect of lipid content on utilization of the astaxanthin. The biological astaxanthin source is more expensive than the synthetic source, resulting in about 5,5% higher production cost of fish produced with the “organic” colorant Ecotone ™ as compared to fish produced with the synthetic source of astaxanthin (Lucantin® Pink). The astaxanthin content in all diets proved to be very unstable when the feed was stored under conditions that are common in production of Arctic charr (10 - 20 ̊C indoors). The loss of astaxanthin ranged from 21-40% and tended to be higher in diets containing Ecotone ™. Thus, it is very important to avoid high temperatures, light and oxygen during storage of the feed.

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Reports

Addition of collagen to heavy salted and lightly salted, chilled and frozen cod fillets

Published:

01/05/2011

Authors:

Kristín Anna Þórarinsdóttir, Hannes Magnússon, Irek Klonowski, Ásbjörn Jónsson, Frank Hansen, Egil Olsen, Sigurjón Arason

Supported by:

NORA

Contact

Sigurjón Arason

Chief Engineer

sigurjon.arason@matis.is

Addition of collagen to heavy salted and lightly salted, chilled and frozen cod fillets

The effect of added gelatin extracted from fish was investigated on the utilization, chemical composition and quality of chilled, frozen and salted cod fillets. The gelatin was mixed into brine which was then injected into the fillets. Salted fillets were pickled after injection, then salted dry for 3 weeks and finally dehydrated. For comparison, fillets were sprayed only with brine. The main results were that the effect of gelatin on utilization and chemical composition was insignificant. Changes were mainly due to increased salt content. Another issue was the damage processes in chilled products. Microbial growth and degradation formation were higher in the fillets injected with gelatin. However, no visual difference in fillet appearance could be detected by brine composition. 

The effects of added fish gelatin on yield, chemical composition and quality of chilled, frozen and salted cod fillets were evaluated. The gelatin was mixed with salt brine and injected to the fillets. Salted fillets were brined after injection, dry salted for 3 weeks and finally rehydrated. Fillets injected only with salt brine were used as control. Effects of added gelatin on yield and chemical composition were not significant. Alterations were primarily due to the increased salt content by injection. Conversely, the growth of microorganisms and degradation within chilled fillets was accelerated by addition of gelatin. However, no significant differences were observed in visual appearance of the fillets. 

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