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This week, Dr. Terence O´Carroll and Dr. Cyr Couturier visited Iceland and, among other things, traveled with Matís people and got to know shellfish farming in Iceland. In addition, they visit the University of Akureyri today.

These people took part in the conference "Innovation in the Nordic Marine Sector" which was held by the Nordic Council of Ministers on 12 May in Reykjavík. Subsequently, they will have a meeting with representatives from the University and companies in the area today, Wednesday 13 May. 

Dr. Terence O´Carroll offers a lecture on shellfish farming, but Dr. O´Carroll is the Director of Technology at the Irish Sea Fisheries Board and has held that position for the last 20 years. Further information about Dr. O´Carroll follow below.

Dr. Cyr Couturier is the chairman of the Canadian Aquaculture Programs and teaches and conducts research at the Memorial University Fisheries Institute in Newfoundland. Dr. Couturier will stay in Akureyri for a few days and will hold a course for representatives of companies in shellfish farming and a meeting with experts from the University and collaborating institutions on research and research collaboration in this field.

Dr. Terence O ';;; Carroll has been with An Bord Iascaigh Mhara for 20 years. On starting with BIM (Bord Iascaigh Mhara - Irish Sea Fisheries Board) he worked with both the fishing and aquaculture sectors but with the restructuring of BIM in 1989 he transferred to the newly formed Aquaculture Technical Section of which he is in charge. The section deals with all aspects of finfish, shellfish and seaweed culture and is involved in developing and introducing new technology for the industry as well as helping the industry with various problems that arise. Recent and ongoing projects for the section have included carrying capacity and water quality modeling (UISCE), surveying for seed mussels, developing improved methods for shellfish culture (including offshore trials), commercializing new species such as perch, abalone and urchins.

HG has in collaboration with Matís ohf. worked on the development of processing processes for farmed cod. Products are considered to be fully comparable to wild cod products. 

The main difference in the production of these products lies in the fact that the farmed cod must be processed before death. Otherwise, the release will be so great that the products will fall into the lowest price category (block). Conventional salting processes cannot be used in the processing of farmed cod as the death stiffness counteracts the uptake of brine. The project worked on the development of new salting processes that took into account the different characteristics of farmed cod compared to wild cod. 

The project "Processing and quality control of farmed cod" (AVS R26-06) which was carried out in collaboration between HG and Matís has been completed. The main results of the project have been summarized in the Matís report and its summary is as follows:

Ways were sought to develop and adapt traditional methods for the production of fresh, frozen and lightly salted products so that they were used in the processing of farmed fish. The aim of the project was for products from farmed cod to provide valuable and varied products that met the quality requirements of the market for cod products. One of the main conclusions of the project was that the processing of farmed cod must take place before the death solidification begins. Otherwise, there is a risk that release will take place and products made from farmed cod will fall in price, and even if they are released so much that products end up in the lowest price category. It has been possible to produce chilled and loose-frozen products from farmed cod that are of a comparable quality to products made from wild cod. Properties are not the same, however, it is reflected in the taste and texture properties. Wild cod is coarser and often juicier, but farmed cod has a more meaty and stuttering texture and is sweeter in taste. The main reason for this difference is the dry matter content of farmed cod, which is 2-4% percentage points higher than in wild cod, and its water resistance is poorer.

Processing for death solidification means that traditional salting processes for farmed fish cannot be used. In light salting, methods such as spraying and prolonging the pickling time can be used to reduce the negative effects of lethal stiffness on salt uptake in conventional procedures. Salting and temperature conditions need to be very well controlled to minimize the risk of microbial growth as very low salt concentrations are used in the production of lightly salted (2% salt content) products.

On Monday 18 May, Matís' employee, Hrönn Ólína Jörundsdóttir, will give a lecture on pollutants in the Icelandic ecosystem. The lecture will be held at Matís' premises at Borgartún 21, 2nd floor and starts at 11:30. Everyone is welcome as long as accommodation allows.

Hrönn Ólína Jörundsdóttir defended her doctoral dissertation "Temporal and spatial trends of organohalogens in guillemot (Uria algae) in North Western Europe" on February 6, 2009 at the Department of Environmental Chemistry at the University of Stockholm.

The dissertation deals extensively with persistent organic pollutants in the Nordic countries, such as PCBs and the insecticide DDT, as well as their metabolites, which were mainly measured in long-range eggs. The substances were measured in eggs from Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Norway and Sweden to obtain a geographical comparison.

The results show that the North Atlantic ecosystem is less polluted than the Baltic ecosystem, but various pollutants were found to be in similar concentrations in these areas and it is necessary to investigate further why this is the case. Fluorinated alkanes, which come from outdoor clothing, have recently been found in significant amounts in nature, measured in long-tailed eggs from Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Norway and Sweden and were in some cases in higher concentrations in eggs from the North Atlantic than in the Baltic Sea. Brominated fire retardants, which are used in electronics, among other things, were measurable everywhere and it seems that it is possible to identify the different origins of the substances that reach the North Atlantic, on the one hand from North America and on the other from Europe.

A comparison was also made of the amount of pollutants in seven Icelandic bird species, i.e. heron, eider, osprey, elephant, herring gull, black-backed gull and skimmer. The foam was found to have a significant high concentration of pollutants, including PCB compounds and the insecticide DDT, and it is important to study the health condition of the foam.

It is clear that part of the pollution measured in the Icelandic ecosystem travels through ocean and air currents to Iceland, but on the other hand a significant part is due to Icelanders' use of goods that contain various pollutants.

For further information, please contact Hrönn, hronn.o.jorundsdottir@matis.is.

The doctoral defense will take place at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition, University of Iceland, on Friday, May 8 at 13. Nutritionist Hólmfríður Sveinsdóttir then defends her doctoral thesis "Studies on the variation of protein expression in cod larvae with age and as a response to environmental factors".

Opponents are Dr. Albert Imsland, Professor at the University of Bergen in Norway and Dr. Phillip Cash, Professor of Research at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. The supervisor of the project was Dr. Ágústa Guðmundsdóttir. Dr. Inga Þórsdóttir, President of the Faculty of Food and Nutrition, will chair the ceremony, which will take place in the Celebration Hall, University of Iceland.

Summary of study
Studies show that the health of fish larvae can be improved by various environmental factors such as protein digestion and supplemental bacteria. In the doctoral project, protein set analyzes were used to monitor changes in the protein set of cod larvae with increasing maturity and as a response to protein digestion and bacterial treatment. Emphasis was placed on the analysis of the digestive enzyme trypsin as well as proteins that can be linked to development and a non-specific immune response. The results of the research are presented in 5 scientific articles and one book chapter. It was found that trypsin is at a minimum at the beginning of the diet, but then it can be assumed that there is a great need for protein digestion.

There were significant changes in the amount and variability of the number of proteins in the protein set of the larvae with increasing maturity, and keratin variants showed the most age-dependent changes. The major proteins detected in small amounts in the cod larvae protein mass after treatment with additive bacteria may be associated with a non-specific immune response. The majority of the proteins detected in increased amounts after treatment of cod larvae with protein digestion can be linked to their energy economy. Two trypsin strains were found in the protein cluster of cod larvae. There was no difference in the levels of these two trypsin strains in cod larvae after their treatment with additive bacteria or protein digestion.

Main results
The results of the doctoral project are the first step in building a database for the protein set of cod larvae. They contain important information about the variability of proteins in the protein set of cod larvae with increasing maturity and in response to changes in environmental factors. The project was carried out in close collaboration with the University's Institute of Natural Sciences. Other partners were the University of Hólar, the Marine Research Institute and the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. The supervisor of the doctoral project was Dr. Ágústa Guðmundsdóttir, professor, but in addition to her, the doctoral committee included Dr. Bjarnheiður K. Guðmundsdóttir, specialist at the University of Iceland Laboratory at Keldur and adjunct professor at the Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Helgi Thorarensen, professor at Hólar University and Dr. Oddur Þ. Vilhelmsson, Associate Professor at the University of Akureyri. The sponsors of the project were the University Fund of Eimskipafélag Íslands, Rannís, the AVS Research Fund, the Research Studies Fund and the University of Iceland Research Fund.

About the doctoral dissertation
Hólmfríður Sveinsdóttir was born on February 8, 1972 in Sauðárkrókur. Hólmfríður graduated from the School of Natural Sciences at Fjölbrautarskóli Norðurlands vestra in 1993. In 1995, Hólmfríður began studying nutrition at the Justus-Liebig University in Giessen in Germany and completed a dipl. oec. troph degree in nutrition, which corresponds to a master's degree in nutrition in 2001. Hólmfríður's master's project dealt with H + -ATPase in maize plants. Hólmfríður is certified as a nutritionist.

Hólmfríður began her doctoral studies at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition at the University of Iceland in 2002. She is the daughter of the couple Sveinn Rúnar Sigfússon, a shopkeeper, and Heiðrún Friðriksdóttir, a medical secretary. Hólmfríður is married to veterinarian Stefán Friðriksson and together they have three children, Friðrik Þór, Herjólf Hrafn and Heiðrún Erla.

It can be mentioned at the end that Hólmfríður will start working for Matís in Sauðárkrókur next week. This is another example of how Matís promotes, through its activities abroad, that knowledge is reflected in the local community.

On the 12th of May Hotel Saga by Hagatorg

The Nordic Innovation Center, the Nordic-Atlantic Co-operation, the Nordic Council of Ministers, chaired by Iceland, and Matís invite you to take part in a conference and discussion on innovation in the fisheries sector.The main topics are:The main topics are:

• Support for innovation and Nordic synergies / Innovation systems and Nordic synergies
• Fishing gear / Fishing gear
• Eldi / Aquaculture
• Production and distribution / Processing and distributions
• Marine biotechnology including algae / Marine biochemicals including Algae Technology

The conference will feature recognized speakers from Canada and the Nordic countries. Part of the conference will be a panel discussion that provides a golden opportunity to present their views on the emphasis on and support for innovation.

This is a conference you do not want to miss!

The conference will be chaired by the Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture

The conference will be held in English. 

Participation is free! Registrations are accepted as long as accommodation allows.

Dr. Alfredo Aguilar, Executive Director of the biotechnology division of the EU Food Framework Program 7, is currently in Iceland. He has, among other things, visited Matís where he presented the recent framework program. Tuesday.

Dr. Alfredo also received a good introduction to Matís 'operations, especially the biotechnology part of the company's operations, as Matís' operations in this field are at the forefront in the world. Dr. Alfredo also gave a presentation at Rannís on grants from the European Union's 7th Marketing Program for research and innovation in the fields of food, agriculture, fisheries and biotechnology.

He will stay in Iceland over the weekend and will at that time do little for himself and walk on Hvannadalshnúkur with Matís employees, but that trip will start on Saturday 2 May.

Great catch is from Dr. Alfredo to Iceland, as his knowledge of the funding of the European Union's 7th Marketing Program for research and innovation in the fields of food, agriculture, fisheries and especially biotechnology is unique.

An interesting conference that Matís participates in organizing on behalf of a project funded by the NICe fund.

The theme of the conference is:

Nordic Food Identity (ID-NorFood)

The conference discusses "terroirs" and refers to areas or districts with the same landscape and climate that affect the special characteristics of local food. Emphasis will be placed on examining the Nordic effects of the landscape and climate on the characteristics of Nordic foods, and the increased value of food labeling in terms of regional characteristics will also be discussed. 

The conference will be held in Oslo on 12 May.

More on the subject http://www.id-norfood.life.ku.dk/

For further information, please contact Emilia Martinsdóttir, emilia.martinsdottir@matis.is.

Steingrímur J. Sigfússon, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, has decided, after submitting the matter to the Government this morning, that Matís ohf. will move its operations to new premises by the end of next year.

In accordance with the goal of increasing the number of jobs in the construction industry, the State Construction Agency was commissioned to advertise for rental housing for Matís ohf. which now operates in three locations across the city.

It was then decided to choose the construction company Mótás, which had offered to rent a 3,800 square meter building at Vínlandsleið 12, Reykjavík. The building, which is now fully sealed, is on three floors with a basement, and the landlord will furnish the building and return it completely finished on the outside and inside. The landlord has estimated that the manpower requirement, including ancillary work to complete the building in accordance with Matís' building description, is around 200 man-years.

By Act no. 68/2006 on the establishment of Matvælarannsóknir hf. authorized the Althingi to establish a limited company for the operation of the Fisheries Research Institute, Matvælarannsóknir Keldnaholt, cf. a co-operation agreement between the Institute of Technology and the Agricultural University, and the laboratory of the Environment Institute. In the comments on the bill, great emphasis was placed on enabling the company to merge under one roof the activities of the institutions that were being merged.

The company - Matís ohf. - entered into force on 1 January 2007.