The diversity of microbial communities inhabiting two terrestrial volcanic glasses of contrasting mineralogy and age was characterized. Basaltic glass from a <0.8 Ma hyaloclastite deposit (Valafell) harbored a more diverse Bacteria community than the younger rhyolitic glass from ∼150-300 AD (Dόmadalshraun lava flow). Actinobacteria dominated 16S rRNA gene clone libraries from both sites, however, Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria and Cyanobacteria were also numerically abundant in each. A significant proportion (15-34%) of the sequenced clones displayed <85% sequence similarities with current database sequences, thus suggesting the presence of novel microbial diversity in each volcanic glass. The majority of clone sequences shared the greatest similarity to uncultured organisms, mainly from soil environments, among these clones from Antarctic environments and Hawaiian and Andean volcanic deposits. Additionally, a large number of clones within the Cyanobacteria and Proteobacteria were more similar to sequences from other lithic environments, included among these Icelandic clones from crystalline basalt and rhyolite, however, no similarities to sequences reported from marine volcanic glasses were observed. PhyloChip analysis detected substantially greater numbers of phylotypes at both sites than the corresponding clone libraries, but nevertheless also identified the basaltic glass community as the richer, containing approximately 29% unique phylotypes compared to rhyolitic glass.
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Do you want fresh fish and other seafood? The fish market by the old harbor opened at the Festival of the Sea, last. Saturday, June 5th.
The fish market management company at Suðurbugt, in collaboration with Faxaflóahafnir and Matís, is responsible for the fish market. The fish market will be open from 10-17 and it is planned that it will be held every Saturday until the autumn.
The project was originally launched in 2009 already The AVS Fund supported the preparation of a research report and a proposal for the appearance and installation of a fish market for the general public (see the report here). Part of the report was then submitted to an idea competition for innovation in tourism, which Höfuðborgarstofa organized in 2009. The project received a grant for funding and a company was subsequently established to establish the fish market.
At the Fish Market by the old harbor, it is recommended that fresh seafood be sold and that those who sell it can inform buyers about its quality, origin and use. But how to evaluate the freshness of fish and other seafood?
At Matís, research has been done on the freshness of seafood for years. One product of this research is the so-called quality coefficient method for assessing freshness.
This method has been adapted to the freshness assessment for various common fish species:
For further information, contact Þóra Valsdóttir, thora.valsdottir@matis.is, and Kolbrún Sveinsdóttir, kolbrun.sveinsdottir@matis.is.
The Chill on project will be covered by the Euronews news channel from 3 to 9 June.
The Chill-on project is funded by the European Union and aims to improve the quality and security, transparency and traceability of the supply chain of chilled / frozen fish products by developing cost-effective technologies, equipment and ways to further monitor and record relevant data and process data.
Here You can find a link to a video about Matís on the TV station.
Á website of the project states, among other things, that the European Union's market area is the second largest market in the world for fresh and frozen foods and that trade in chilled and frozen foods is increasing year by year. It also states that fish is in third place among the most consumed foods in Europe and due to the fragility of fresh fish, it has been decided to investigate everything related to quality and traceability in the supply chain and transport with chilled and frozen fish in the project. .
Matís' research in the project mainly focuses on fish products and methods to increase their shelf life and safety, but collaborative projects of this size open up various new possibilities and knowledge flows to Iceland.
The episodes about Chill on are on the program at the following times:
Thu. June 3 at 17:45
Fös. June 4 at 00:45 08:45 12:45
Lau. June 5 at 05:45 11:15 16:45 21:45
Sun. June 6 at 09:45 13:45 19:45
Mon. June 7 at 08:15 17:45
Tue. June 8 at 00:45 12:15 17:15
Wed. June 9 at 00:45 09:15 15:45
A declaration of intent for Matarsmiðjan á Flúðir has attracted a lot of attention. Sjöfn Sigurgísladóttir was in an interview on Bylgjan recently about plans for a food factory and hot water farming.
The interview with Sjöfn can be found here.
In recent months, preparations have been made for the establishment of a food factory in the uplands of Árnessýsla, which will be a center for product development and processing of vegetables and to strengthen vocational and university education in the area through teaching and research.
In Flúðir, partners will rent premises and set up the necessary facilities for Matarsmiðjan's operations. The intention is to offer entrepreneurs and small producers expert assistance to develop products without spending a lot of money on facilities, equipment and operating licenses while products are being marketed.
The main goal of the project is to build a development center for small-scale food production, ie to establish small-scale production, product development and research of horticultural products in the area and thus create new and interesting opportunities in Flúðir and the surrounding area, but also to create an important platform for entrepreneurs and small producers complete their products for marketing.
Suðurlands' growth agreement supported Matís in the preparation of the food factory. This spring, the partners submitted a new application to the Growth Agreement of the South for the development of Matarsmiðjan.
A special association will be established for the operation of the food factory in Flúðir. The partners will work together to ensure the progress of the project so that the facilities can be used for development work, teaching, courses and experimental activities.
In the near future, an employee will be hired full time for the workshop. Matís invests heavily in its operations outside the capital area and in collaboration with companies and stakeholders throughout the country, but the company operates offices in six locations outside Reykjavík.
Matís, Ragnar Magnússon, head of the district committee of Hrunamannahreppur and Guðjón
Þorkelsson, division manager in the field Innovation and consumers at Matís signed
the declaration of intent.
For further information, please contact Guðjón Þorkelsson, gudjon.thorkelsson@matis.is, and Sjöfn Sigurgísladóttir, CEO of Matís, sjofn.sigurgisladottir@matis.is.
Professor Wolfgang Hillen will give a lecture at Matís, Vínlandsleið 12, Reykjavík on Thursday 3 June at 10.00 - 11.00. The lecture is entitled: Tetracycline Dependent Gene Regulation in Bacteria and Mammals: From Mechanisms to Applications.
Professor Wolgang Hillen is the Chair of the Department of Microbiology, Friedrich-Alexander University, Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany.
More about the topic of the lecture
Tetracycline Dependent Gene Regulation in Bacteria and Mammals: From Mechanisms to Applications
Tetracycline dependent gene regulation originates from resistance genes against this antibiotic in bacteria. The resistance mechanism has provided evolutionary pressure to establish a gene regulation system with low background expression combined with sensitive and efficient induction. The relevant prokaryotic components have been modified to function in nearly all organisms, including transgenic mice and human cell lines. A special strategy will be described for the construction of a suicide device for gene therapy by inducing apoptosis in human cell lines at will using regulated t-Bid expression. The basal expression is reduced below the induction threshold by a combined repressor / activator regulation construct, which leads to over 99% cell death upon induction. Furthermore, a screen for the nuclear localization of proteins will be described that does not need microscopy but instead makes use of a purely genetic procedure in which expression of a reporter gene indicates nuclear localization. The potential for screening novel therapeutics will be discussed.
For further information, please contact Franklín Georgsson, franklin.georgsson@matis.is.
Contact
Jónas Rúnar Viðarsson
Director of Business and Development
jonas@matis.is
Computer controlled scraping knives for filleting machines
This report describes the progress and results of the project "Computer-controlled scraping knives for filleting machines" which was funded by the AVS Fund. The aim of the project was to develop and build computer-controlled equipment for controlling the movements of scraper knives in a filleting machine of the type F-189-PLC from Fiskvélar. It was hoped that the computer-controlled scraper knives would improve fillet utilization and make it possible to fillet smaller fish than has previously been possible with acceptable results. Measurements of fillet utilization of the machine after changes show that utilization has increased by 0.81%, when filleting medium-sized cod (approximately 2 kg). However, due to a lack of raw materials, it was not possible to measure whether the machine performed better when filleting very small fish (<0.7 kg). The computer-controlled scraper knives seem to follow the cutting curve better than older equipment and also that they reach further into the bones. It also appears that the increased mobility of the scraper knives reduces stimuli on the fish flesh. > <0.7 kg). The computer-controlled scraper knives seem to follow the cutting curve better than older equipment and also that they reach further into the bones. It also appears that the increased mobility of the scraper knives reduces stimuli on the fish flesh.
This is a report on the progress and results of the project "Computer controlled scraping knives for filleting machines". The aim of the projects was to develop and build a computer guided device to control movements of scraping knives in the F-189-PLC filleting machine from Fiskvélar. The goal was to increase filleting yield and make it possible to fillet smaller fish than has been possible before. Measuring filleting yield of the machine after it has been fitted with the new device shows that yield has improved by 0.81%. Unfortunately the success of the machine when filling very small fish (<0.7 kg) has not yet been carried out due to lack of raw material. The new device appears to guide the knives better along the cutting curve and allow them to cut closer to the bones. Improved maneuverability of the knives is also reducing strain on the flesh of the fish. > <0.7 kg) has not yet been carried out due to lack of raw material. The new device appears to guide the knives better along the cutting curve and allow them to cut closer to the bones. Improved maneuverability of the knives is also reducing strain on the flesh of the fish.
View report
Contact
Sigurlaug Skírnisdóttir
Project Manager
sigurlaug.skirnisdottir@matis.is
Population genetics of the Icelandic Nephrops norvegius stock / Stofnerfðafræði leturhumars á Íslandsmiðum
As the name of the project "Stock genetics of lobster in Icelandic waters" indicates, the aim of the project was to examine the type of lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) in Icelandic waters, but stock type research is an important factor for sustainable fisheries management. The main objectives of the project were to develop new genetic boundaries to assess genetic variability within and between geographically separated hunting areas in Iceland, to define the paternity of female egg masses from separate hunting areas in order to shed light on the reproductive process of lobster breeding and to stem genetic factors. Genetic analysis involves the use of so-called genetic markers, which are based on specific DNA sequences that are somehow detectable in the genome. Genetic markers based on repeated short sequences (2-6 bases) are most commonly used, which are known to vary between individuals of the same species. These areas therefore vary in length between individuals and make them suitable options. Genetic analysis is a very powerful technology that can be used for individual analysis in a group of organisms. This method is now increasingly used for parental analysis, to assess population structure, for research traceability and to accelerate targeted breeding. Usually 5-15 different genetic markers need to be used to differentiate individuals. A large part of the development work is therefore to find the best conditions for PCR reactions, where as many genetic markers as possible can be used in one reaction (multiplex) and simultaneous runs on a sequencer. Well-made genetic analysis kits that are easy and cheap to use and provide a lot of information and good diagnostic skills are very useful for a variety of uses. They are therefore valuable products and marketers, as both genetic analysis and services based on them can be sold. The project developed eight new genetic markers for lobsters and used them to analyze samples from separate geographical fishing areas around Iceland, while Scottish lobster samples were used as a group. In addition, four previously published genetic markers were used for the analyzes. The results of analyzes with these 12 genetic markers from geographically separated regions (together with the subgroup) did not show a significant genetic difference of lobster between the regions. The results of the project have been published in articles and student projects. The student thesis is entitled "Development of microsatellite multiplex systems for Nephrops norvegicus" and is by Sóleyja Valgeirsdóttir. One article has been approved for publication in the project, which describes eight new genetic markers. The title of the article is: "Isolation and characterization of eight new microsatellite loci in the Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus (Linnaeus, 1758)" (approved for publication in the journal Molecular Ecology Resources, Appendix 1). Another article has been submitted for publication in the ICES Journal of Marine Science under the title "A pilot genetic study revealed the absence of spatial genetic structure of the Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) at fishing grounds in Icelandic waters" but it deals with the structure of lobster in Icelandic waters where lobsters from Scotland were kept as an outing group (Appendix 2).
The genetic structure of population and mating behavior of exploited marine species are important criteria for effective fisheries management. The distribution of Nephrops norvegicus, Norway lobster, in Icelandic waters is limited to the warmer sea of the south coast. The distribution of the Icelandic stock can be divided into ten geographical areas but the main aim of this project was to develop microsatellite markers to use for the genetics analysis and to analyze whether the lobsters in each area are a self-contained unit stock or not. The aim was furthermore to determine the paternity of egg masses from individual females, and thus elucidate the breeding structure in Icelandic waters. The final goal was to produce a plan for the conservation and management of genetic resources in the Icelandic Norway lobster stock taking into account possible natural population diversity. Microsatellites are short sequence repeats of 2-6 bases found in all prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes analyzed to date. Microsatellites are variable, which means the number of repeats in a specific area of the DNA variants between the different members of a species. Consequently, the alleles of the microsatellites differ by the length. The different alleles and thus the different length of the microsatellites can be caused by insertion or deletion of one or more repeats during the DNA replication. These sequences are usually under a high degree of length variability and that makes them as powerful genetic markers. Therefore, microsatellites are suitable for population genetics, for family tracing in breeding programs, genetic monitoring, and kinship studies as well as tracing of origin. Usually, 5-15 microsatellites are enough to discriminate between individuals. A microsatellite multiplex system is the use of multiple, unique primer sets in a single PCR mixture to produce amplicons of varying sizes, specific to different DNA sequences. By targeting multiple loci at once, additional information may be gained from a single reaction. It is a great advantage that microsatellite markers can be run in multiplex assay systems. Larger numbers of samples and smaller DNA quantities can then be genotyped at once, saving time and money. This also minimizes the risk of handling errors. In this study we developed eight new microsatellite markers that were used to characterize the genetic diversity of Norway lobster, in and between isolated geographical areas in Icelandic waters, and an out-group sample from Scotland. In addition, four previously published microsatellite markers were used for the analysis. The microsatellites did not detect significant genetic differentiation among the location sampled, not even among Icelandic samples and the out-group collected in Scotland. The outcomes of the project are two papers and one student report. The report is titled "Development of microsatellite multiplex systems for Nephrops norvegicus" by Sóley Valgeirsdóttir. The first paper is titled; „Isolation and characterization of eight new microsatellite loci in the Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus (Linnaeus, 1758)“ where the eight new loci are described (Molecular Ecology Resources; Appendix 1; accepted for publication). The second paper is titled "A pilot genetic study revealed the absence of spatial genetic structure of the Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) at fishing grounds in Icelandic waters" (ICES Journal of Marine Science; Appendix 2; submitted).
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Shelf life of vacuum ‐ packed smoked herring fillets
The aim of the study was to examine the shelf life of smoked herring fillets in vacuum-packed packaging and to examine its effect on the shelf life of the product if preservatives are not used and if sorbate is used instead of benzoate, which is used in conventional production. This study showed that the use of preservatives has a significant effect on the shelf life of smoked herring fillets. It was also stated that the sorbate treatment of herring fillets provided the best preservation against microbial growth and also the sorbate treatment of herring fillets proved to be the best in informal sensory evaluation. Whether this is due to the sorbate's inhibition of microbial growth or whether it reduces the rate of chemical and physical degradation factors compared to herring fillets with benzoate or without preservatives needs further research.
The object of this project was to evaluate the shelf life of vacuum packed smoked herring fillets and to evaluate whether the use of the preservatives benzoate or sorbate had any effect on the shelf life of the product Results showed that treatment of the smoked herring fillets with preservatives greatly affected the shelf life and that sorbate treatment of the herring fillets provided the best defense for bacteria growth and also gave best results in an informal sensory testing during the shelf life study. Whether this is due to inhibitory role of sorbate on bacteria growth or that sorbate slows down chemical and physical degradation in comparison to herring fillets with benzoate or without any preservatives needs further investigation.
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Better utilization of water in charr farming / Efficient rearing systems for Arctic charr
The need for water in aquaculture is extremely high and what ultimately limits the size and production capacity of aquaculture establishments is access to hot and cold water. The aim of the project was to test a cheap and simple way to reduce water consumption in charr farming. At the beginning of the project, it was assumed that water could be used in charr farming four times better than is currently the case. However, it turned out that the water can be used seven times better. The result of this study is that it is possible to produce around seven times more biomass in aquaculture on land with the amount of water used today. The goals of the project were therefore achieved and much better. In order for this to be possible, the following things need to be kept in mind:
• It is very important to release turbidity from the water as soon as possible. Therefore, a drum filter is a necessary equipment and all the water must be filtered with each cycle of recycling. The filter should use 100 μm cloth, which cleans all particles that can reduce the efficiency of the farming system.
• There must be sufficient current in the fish tanks and it is desirable that the water exchange rate is not less than 45 minutes to ensure self-cleaning and to satisfy the oxygen demand of fish at high concentrations.
• A bio-cleaner is a necessary equipment when the recycling is greater than 0.03-0.05 L kg ‐ 1 ∙ min ‐ 1. It releases ammonia from the broth. The biocleaner used in this study has been shown to work well and its design has been patented
Aquaculture requires large volumes of water are required for aquaculture and the size and production capacity of fish farms is in most places ultimately determined by access to water and geothermal heat. The objective of this project was to reduce water requirements in Arctic charr aquaculture. Through simple reuse of water the plan was to reduce water requirements fourfold compared with standard reference values in Arctic char fish farms in Iceland. This goal was achieved and at the end the reuse was sevenfold. The conclusions of the project are that by using the same amount of water used today and with a simple reuse of it the annual increase in production of Arctic char can be sevenfold the annual production of today. But to make that possible, the following points have to be kept in mind:
• It is necessary to minimize the turbidity in the water by all means. A drum filter of 100 μm is therefore needed in the recirculation system.
• The current in the rearing system has to be sufficient and the water change ratio should not be less than 45 minutes to secure self-cleaning and to fulfill the oxygen need of the fish reared in high density.
• A bio filter is needed if the recirculation exceeds 0.03-0.05 L kg ‐ 1 ∙ min‐ 1. It phases out the ammonia in the rearing system. The bio filter used in this project has shown that it works and the design of it has a patent
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The Italian-Icelandic Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with the Slow Food organization and Matís, organize a symposium on the value of local foods for culture, tourism and society. There, Matís employees, Þóra Valsdóttir and Guðjón Þorkelsson, give a very interesting talk:The uniqueness of Icelandic food. Origin, quality, products."
Wednesday. June 2, 2010
The store's house, 14th floor at 15.-17.00
Slow Food Reykjavik, Eygló Björk Ólafsdóttir:
Slow Food's project to protect and promote original, local foods.
Matís, Þóra Valsdóttir and Guðjón Þorkelsson:
The special position of Icelandic food. Origin, quality, products.
Edda Hotels, Friðrik V. Karlsson:
The old sky in the new kitchen
EG Fiskverkun, Flateyri, Guðrún Pálsdóttir:
Westfjords dried fish - history and specialties
The Slow Food movement was born in Italy in 1989 and has played a major role in the preservation, revival and utilization of local foods around the world. The association's ideology is that the food is good, clean and fair - what value can be created in Iceland by following this policy? The ways within European co-operation and Slow Food to recognize food based on origin, quality and traditional processing methods will be highlighted.
For further information, contact Þóra Valsdóttir, thora.valsdottir@matis.is, and Guðjón Þorkelsson, gudjon.thorkelsson@matis.is.
Registration with Kristin@chamber.is