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Sustainable high-quality foods from macroalgae

The SEAFOODTURE project kick-off meeting took place on May 13, 2024 at the Institute of Food Science Research (CIAL) in Madrid, Spain. The project aims to use macroalgae biomass for the development of sustainable, high-quality food. The project is funded by the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership (SBEP).

There were 10 partners from 8 countries who attended the kick-off meeting of the project which took place on 13 May 2024 at the Institute of Food Science Research (CIAL) in Madrid, Spain.

This is a three-year project that includes 9 work packages in which the following partners participate:

  • Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Spain
  • Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC), Spain
  • Tarsus Üniversitesi (Tarsus), Turkey
  • Porto-Muiños, Spain
  • Sapienza Università di Roma (Sapienza), Italy
  • Universidade de Aveiro (UA), Portugal
  • Innovate Food Technology LTD. T/A Innovate Solutions, Ireland
  • Matís, Iceland
  • SINTEF Ocean, Norway
  • Thang / Tartu Ülikool (Tartu), Estonia

The project's project page is accessible here.

The website of the project can be found here.

News

Easterners interested in climate issues

On June 5, Matís, together with Austurbrú, held a workshop organized by the European project NATALIE in Reyðarfjörður. At the end of last year, the European project began NATALIE, which Matís and East Bridge are participants in. The main focus of the project is to develop so-called nature-based solutions (NBS). These solutions are intended to respond to the problems caused by climate change. These include the increased risk of landslides, rising sea levels, algae blooms and more.

The goal of the workshop was to introduce the project to the main stakeholders in the area and get their perspective on the possibilities offered by the project. In the case of NATALIE, the stakeholders are all those who have to deal with some kind of challenges related to climate change, and it is therefore a diverse group that comes to the project. There were 11 participants in the workshop and they came from municipalities, companies and institutions in the region. The project NATALIE was introduced to the participants and group work then took place according to the project's standard work method. Work was done on climate challenges, possible nature-based solutions and obstacles that could stand in the way of their implementation. A key point is to get the perspective of stakeholders before starting to implement nature-based solutions. They are experts when it comes to the problems the area is facing and can therefore contribute knowledge that is not obvious to outsiders, for example about the status of operations, proposed solutions and the importance of certain infrastructure.

The workshop went well and it was gratifying to see how active the participants were and willing to contribute so that NATALIE's goals are achieved. The region's economic operators are already aware of the climate-related challenges facing the East and want to increase the region's resilience in relation to them. This great interest in climate and environmental issues among stakeholders in East Iceland is valuable for the NATALIE project, and Matís and Austurbrú look forward to further cooperation.

NATALIE is a five-year project and there are a total of 43 participants, from all over Europe, from Romania to Iceland. The challenges these regions face are different, but they all have one thing in common to do with the water cycle. The project is extensive, but Matís is in charge of research area 7 (i.e. Case study 7) which covers the Arctic. Matís and Austurbrú will, in good cooperation with stakeholders in the region, participate in the development of new NBS solutions in the region. The solutions are developed in collaboration with experts at Exeter University and the Arctic University of Tromsø (UiT).

The project NATALIE is financed by the Horizon Europe program of the European Union under grant N° 101112859.

News

Kick-off meeting in the BioProtect project

On the 22nd-23rd In May, the opening meeting of the European research and innovation project took place in Copenhagen BioProtect, which is led by Matís and the Norwegian Marine Research Institute. The project will last for the next 4 years, bringing together 18 companies and institutions from around Europe with the aim of developing solutions to deal with climate change and the human threat to marine biodiversity. The project has received 8 million euros of support from Horizon Europe Europe's framework program for research and innovation and is therefore among the largest projects that Icelandic parties have managed within the framework programs of Europe.

This initial meeting was attended by about 40 key representatives of the participants, together with representatives of the European Union and external advisors. There was a particularly positive atmosphere at the meeting, where everyone involved is excited about the upcoming projects, and among other things, used the meeting to plan the work that will take place in the coming semesters.

Sophie Jensen emphasized the importance of collaboration in BioProtecgt and that all participants meet the expected responsibilities so that the project delivers the desired results
Sophie Jensen from Matís and Julian Burgos from Hafró lead the project

In the main role at the meeting were Sophie Jensen from Matís, who manages the project (e. coordinator), and Julian Burgos from Hafró, who is the scientific leader of the project (e. scientific manager), but together they form an excellent management team for this interesting and necessary project.

Christophe Pamoulie, Hafró's research director, reviews the organization's role in BioProtect.
Sæmundur Sveinsson and Cecile Dargentolle from Matís ensured that there were no technical problems, as well as keeping detailed meeting minutes.
Jónas R. Viðarsson at Matís has the role in BioProtect to ensure that all formal requirements of Horizon Europe are met (e. Administrative manager) etc. regarding contracts, intellectual property, registration of work contributions and costs, etc.
A peaceful group of key participants in BioProtect who participated in the project's kick-off meeting

News

Matís' vegetable book provides information about vegetables from harvest to consumer

Contact

Ólafur Reykdal

Project Manager

olafur.reykdal@matis.is

Matís' vegetable book is now available to everyone on Matís' website. This web book provides accessible information about vegetables, from harvest to the time the vegetables reach the consumer's table. The importance of domestic vegetable production for food security, the healthiness of vegetables, proper storage conditions, packaging of vegetables and how to reduce waste of vegetables are discussed. Emphasis is placed on short, concise text, and additional information can be retrieved by clicking on links in the text.

The project was funded by Þróunrfé garðyrkju, which is managed by the Ministry of Food. The goals of the project were to increase knowledge about the best treatment of vegetables and thus increase the quality of vegetables on the market and promote less waste. It is also hoped that consumer interest in Icelandic vegetables and their healthiness will increase.

At Matís, many projects on vegetables have been carried out. Particular attention has been drawn to results on vegetable by-products, packaging of vegetables and the health effects of packaging materials. You can now access the results of the projects through the vegetable book. There is reason to point out that it is possible to obtain information on the best storage conditions for the various types of vegetables, but there has been a lack of such information. Finally, it can be pointed out that the new Nordic nutritional recommendations emphasize the consumption of vegetables.   

The Vegetable Guide (PDF)

Peer-reviewed articles

Catalyzing progress in the blue economy through joint marine microbiome research across the Atlantic

Contact

René Groben

Project Manager

rene.groben@matis.is

International agreements recognize the importance of cooperative scientific research to conserve and promote sustainable development of a shared Atlantic Ocean. In 2022, the All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance Declaration was signed. The All-Atlantic Declaration continues and extends relations forged by the Galway Statement on Atlantic Ocean Cooperation and the Belém Statement on Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Cooperation. These efforts are consistent with programs, actions, and aims of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. In preparation for implementation of the All-Atlantic Declaration, members of the Marine Microbiome Working Group and the Marine Biotechnology Initiative for the Atlantic under the Galway and Belém Statements respectively, joined forces to call for cooperation across the Atlantic to increase marine microbiome and biotechnology research to promote ocean health and a sustainable bioeconomy. This article reviews the goals of the marine microbiome and biotechnology initiatives under the Galway and Belém Statements and outlines an approach to implement those goals under the All-Atlantic Declaration through a Blue Biotech and Marine Microbiome (BBAMM) collaboration.

Peer-reviewed articles

 A total of 219 metagenome-assembled genomes of microorganisms from Icelandic marine waters

Contact

René Groben

Project Manager

rene.groben@matis.is


Marine microorganisms contribute to the health of the global ocean by supporting the marine food web and regulating biogeochemical cycles. Assessing marine microbial diversity is a crucial step towards understanding the global ocean. The waters surrounding Iceland are a complex environment where relatively warm salty waters from the Atlantic cool down and sink down to the deep. Microbial studies in this area have focused on photosynthetic micro- and nanoplankton mainly using microscopy and chlorophyll measurements. However, the diversity and function of the bacterial and archaeal picoplankton remains unknown. Here, we used a co-assembly approach supported by a marine mock community to reconstruct metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from 31 metagenomes from the sea surface and seafloor of four oceanographic sampling stations sampled between 2015 and 2018. The resulting 219 MAGs include 191 bacterial, 26 archaeal and two eukaryotic MAGs to bridge the gap in our current knowledge of the global marine microbiome.

Peer-reviewed articles

Marine Microbial Communities of North and South Shelves of Iceland

Contact

René Groben

Project Manager

rene.groben@matis.is

The North Atlantic Ocean surrounds Iceland, influencing its climate and hosting a rich ecosystem that provides the Icelandic nation with economically valuable marine species. The basis of the Icelandic marine ecosystem consists of communities of diverse microorganisms including bacteria, archaea, and unicellular eukaryotes. While the primary production of Icelandic waters has been monitored since the 50s, there is limited knowledge of the taxonomic and metabolic diversity of the marine microorganisms in Icelandic waters based on molecular techniques. In this study, we conducted annual sampling at four hydrographic stations over several years to characterize marine microbial communities and their metabolic potential. Using 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicon sequencing and metagenomics, we resolved the microbial community composition on the North and South Shelves of Iceland, analyzed its evolution from 2011 to 2018, identified frequently occurring taxa, and predicted their potential metabolism. The results showed correlations between the marine microbial community profiles and the water masses in spring, between the North and South Shelves of Iceland. The differences in marine microbial diversity appear to be linked to the average seawater temperature in the mixed surface layer at each sampling station which also constrains the relative abundance of photosynthetic microorganisms. This study sets a baseline for the marine microbial diversity in Icelandic marine waters and identified three photosynthetic microorganisms – the cyanobacteria Synechococcus and two members of the Chlorophyta clade – as valuable indicator species for future monitoring, as well as for application in ecosystem modeling in context with research on climate change.

Peer-reviewed articles

The distribution and diversity of eukaryotic phytoplankton in the Icelandic marine environment

Contact

René Groben

Project Manager

rene.groben@matis.is

Phytoplankton play a crucial role in the marine food web and are sensitive indicators of environmental change. Iceland is at the center of a contrasting hydrography, with cold Arctic water coming in from the north and warmer Atlantic water from the south, making this geographical location very sensitive to climate change. We used DNA metabarcoding to determine the biogeography of phytoplankton in this area of accelerating change. Seawater samples were collected in spring (2012–2018), summer (2017) and winter (2018) together with corresponding physico-chemical metadata around Iceland. Amplicon sequencing of the V4 region of the 18S rRNA gene indicates that eukaryotic phytoplankton community composition is different between the northern and southern water masses, with some genera completely absent from Polar Water masses. Emilia was more dominant in the Atlantic-influenced waters and in summer, and Phaeocystis was more dominant in the colder, northern waters and in winter. The Chlorophyta picophytoplankton genus, Micromonas, was similarly dominant to the dominant diatom genus, Chaetoceros. This study presents an extensive dataset which can be linked with other 18s rRNA datasets for further investigation into the diversity and biogeography of marine protists in the North Atlantic.

News

What will be for dinner? – Matís' seminar on the future of food production

Next Friday, on May 31, Matís' seminar on the future of food production will take place. The seminar is entitled "What's for dinner?" and runs from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm in Harpa's Norðurløsasal.

There, the latest in the field of food research will be in focus, along with challenges and opportunities in food production in the future. Among the speakers will be Bente Torstensen, director of NOFIMA (food research in Norway), Dirk Carrez, director of the Biobased Industries Consortium and Ólavur Gregersen from Ocean Rainforest, the latter being a Faroese pioneer in the use of algae in food, feed and packaging. He has set up a massive algae factory and is a world leader in research and development on the utilization of seaweed. This activity has attracted a lot of attention around the world, as this industry could play a key role in replacing traditional plastic packaging with biodegradable plastic and also in contributing to increased food safety worldwide.

Matís' experts will also present their research, for example in relation to side products in vegetable farming, the development of Icelanders' fish consumption, fresh protein, food systems in cities to name a few. Then representatives from, among others, SFS, the farmers' association and the University of Iceland will sit on a panel and answer questions about the impact of food research on the food industry and society.

Bjarkey Olsen Gunnarsdóttir, Minister of Food, will open the forum and the moderator will be Bergur Ebbi. Below is the agenda of the seminar and the registration link. Those who register here will also be sent a link to the stream, but the forum will also be streamed on Visir.is.

The forum's Facebook page

Recordings, speakers' slides and photos from the seminar are available here:

What will be for dinner? Matís' seminar on the future of food production

News

Matís' summer festival will be on June 5

You are all warmly welcome to Matís' summer festival on June 5 next at 16:00 - 18:00 at Vínlandsleið 12.

It will be real fun for the whole family, as Stjörnu Sævar will visit the area, face painting for the children and exciting science stations for young and old.

Here you can see the event on Facebook.

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