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Arsenic is a well-known toxic and carcinogenic substance and is therefore at the top of the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry list of dangerous substances. The morphology of arsenic in food and other organic samples is important because the bioavailability and toxicity of arsenic are highly dependent on its chemical form.

Some arsenic chemicals, such as methylated trivalent arsenic, are highly toxic while arsenobetanide is safe. Nevertheless, current regulations on the content limits of arsenic in food and feed only take into account the total arsenic in food / feed components and do not take into account the toxic chemical form of arsenic. Research into the chemical forms of arsenic and the transformations of these substances is important in understanding the dangers of arsenic in our diet.

In the ecosystem, the substance arsenic is present in organic compounds as well as in inorganic form and more than 50 natural chemical forms of arsenic have been found. Seafood naturally contains a high concentration of the total arsenic compared to, for example, agricultural products. Until now, there has been limited information on different chemical forms of arsenic in, for example, fishmeal and fish oil. Matís has been involved in researching different chemical forms of arsenic in feedlots made from cod and capelin, and the results of these studies have recently been published in two scientific journals in peer-reviewed journals.

Research on the chemical forms of arsenic is very important in order to obtain data on which chemical forms of arsenic and in what quantities they are present in, for example, fishmeal and fish oil. This data can then be used as a basis for a review of laws and regulations on the limits of arsenic in the relevant seafood. Research in this field of research will continue at Matís, and Matís received a grant from AVS in 2008 to analyze the toxic and harmless chemical form of arsenic in fishmeal.

Further information on the results of Matís' above research can be found in Chemical Communication, 39, 2008 and Applied Chemistry, 47, 2008.

Emilía Martinsdóttir, Head of the Processing and Product Development Division, is currently chair of the European Sensory Network (ESN), an international association of research institutes and companies in the field of sensory evaluation and consumer research.

The ESN has 23 participants from 16 European countries, but there are also four non-European members of the organization: from Canada, South Africa, Australia and Israel.
This international organization was originally established as a forum for discussion and collaboration among the best research companies in each country and is intended to ensure the food industry in each country accessible and safe methods of sensory evaluation. Participants all have extensive experience in this field.

A meeting was held at the European Sensory Netwok in early October in Copenhagen. The meeting was well attended because in addition to ESN participants, there were representatives of 15 food companies that have been invited to participate directly in ESN-Industry Network Partnerships.

The companies will provide funding for specific research projects that they can agree on, and the research projects will be carried out by two or more ESN participants at a time. New research projects will then be selected annually. This ESN industry platform will increase the interaction of individual ESN members with the food industry.

The foreign food companies that have now signed an agreement to join ESN are Givaudan, Kraft Foods, Symrise, Firmenich, Nestlé, Unilever, Friesland Foods, Danone, Heineken, GlaxoSmithKlene, General Mills, Tetra Pak, Philip Morris and Danisco.

More information is available on the ESN website, www.esn-network.com/, and with Emilia, emilia.martinsdottir@matis.is.

The promotion of local foods aims to build a local and sustainable food economy. This includes food production, processing, distribution and consumption. It is believed that the development of local foods will strengthen the relevant places or areas economically, environmentally and socially. They also provide an opportunity for a closer connection between producers and consumers.

The meaning given to people in the concept of local foods varies. Usually, however, the definition includes the ideology that foods are of better quality and taste better because they are fresher and at the "best age" when they fall into the hands of consumers. Manufacturers also use materials or other methods to increase their shelf life, as these products have to travel less than traditional products available in stores. Another goal of local foods is to preserve and revive local food traditions, promote the cultivation of diverse crops to reduce the use of pesticides, fertilizers and waste generation. This will also strengthen local economies by strengthening small farms, local jobs and shops.

Food tourism is often associated with city trips, high-class restaurants and so-called "food countries". It is therefore a challenge to establish food tourism in rural Iceland. In recent years, several organizations have been established to promote the production and supply of local food, both nationwide and regionally.

There are three main organizations in the country; Directly from the farm, Lifandi landbúnaður and Matur-Saga-Menning, all of which aim to stimulate food culture in Iceland, among other things by strengthening the production of food from local ingredients and promoting the preservation of traditional production methods and cuisine. There has also been some revival in recent years among raw material producers and tourism operators in Iceland, about the importance of food in the tourist experience and the added value that is gained through the processing and sale of raw materials in the region. Stakeholders in many areas have partnered to work together to define and build food tourism and to support the production of local foods. Examples of such collaborations are Matur úr héraði, Matarkistan Skagafjörður, Þingeyska matarbúrið, Austurlamb, Suðurland taste the best and Ríki Vatnajökull. Preparations for such co-operation have also begun in West Iceland and the Westfjords. Today, therefore, the network, and the development of knowledge regarding opportunities in food tourism, has become quite dense. In addition to the support provided by such co-operation, work is now underway on the development of a comprehensive product development hotel in Hornafjörður. This is a systematic attempt to encourage innovation in small-scale food production in the country.

Þóra Valsdóttir food scientist, project manager at Matís.

The article was published in Fréttablaðið on 2 October.

The Fisheries Exhibition 2008 took place in Fífan in Kópavogur 2.-4. October sl. As usual, prizes were awarded for exhibition booths and these prizes were awarded at a special exhibition festival held on 3 October at the invitation of Eimskip and Landsbankinn.

In addition, an award was given for the best innovation in the exhibition, where Trackwell received an award for the SeaData information system, but Matís has been Trackwell's hand in that project in connection with another interesting project, FisHmark.

Matís wishes Trackwell Congratulations on this great award.

The Fisheries Exhibition 2008 took place in Fífan in Kópavogur 2.-4. October sl. There was a great demand for the show and it seems that each show is bigger than the one that came before. Matís took part now as last time and there was a lot of traffic in the company's booth. The highlights were when Ísfélag Vestmannaeyja offered live kúffisk on 3 and 4 October and when Einar Kristinn Guðfinnsson, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, visited Matís' exhibition area.

A large queue was created when the kúffisk was offered and the taste of the fish was well liked by those who tried it, as there was a lot of delicacy on the trip. The demand was so great that the exhibitors offered the roads much longer than originally planned.

The picture shows the Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture and Sjöfn Sigurgísladóttir, CEO of Matís, together with Siggeir Stefánsson, production manager at Ísfélagið, enjoying the shellfish.

In the Science Report of the University Center of the Westfjords, on Friday 10 October, dr. Þorleifur Ágústsson, project manager at Matís, presents the company's cod farming research in Ísafjörður. The main focus of the research has been to prevent premature sexual maturation in cod by light control in sea cages.

Premature puberty causes the growth of cod to slow down, weight loss occurs as well as quality declines and declines. Matís has also worked on the design of sea cages for Icelandic conditions, developed a slaughter line for farmed cod and worked on research on the interaction of genetics and the environment on cod in farming. Special research facilities have been set up in Álftafjörður to conduct this biological and technical research.

The science report is an informal discussion time at noon on Fridays and starts punctually at 12.10. It discusses briefly, 20-30 minutes, about ongoing research or research that has been completed and then given the go-ahead. The science report takes place in the coffee hall of the University Center of the Westfjords and everyone is welcome.

A lecture on projects for a master's degree in food science at the Department of Food and Nutrition at the University of Iceland will be held on Monday 6 October at 12:00 in Árnagarður, room Á-201, at the University of Iceland.

The research project was carried out at Matís ohf in collaboration with the Laboratory of Nutrition at Landspítali - University Hospital and the University of Iceland as well as the Social Sciences Institute of the University of Iceland.

Kl. 12:00 Gunnþórunn Einarsdóttir

Attitudes and fish consumption of young people:

Improved image of seafood

Young consumer attitudes and fish consumption:

Improved image of seafood

Gunnþórunn Einarsdóttir graduated with a BS degree in food science from the University of Iceland in 2000. In 2005 she began studying for a master's degree in food science at the University of Iceland. 

The aim of the project was to gather information about young people's fish consumption and their attitudes towards fish. The purpose was to find ways that could contribute to a better image of seafood among young people and increase their consumption of these products in accordance with nutritional recommendations and thus possibly affect themselves and the next generation.  

The main results of the project were that young people between the ages of 17 and 26 ate fish as a main course 1.3 times a week, which is under the Public Health Institute's recommendations that fish should be eaten twice a week or more. Parents have the most encouraging and formative influence on young people's fish consumption. Eating fish as a child has a significant effect on young people's attitudes towards fish consumption later on. Insecurity regarding the handling of fish such as cooking it is a discouraging factor in fish consumption. Interventions that included increased access to fish through school canteens, open educational lectures and web promotion resulted in better knowledge of the fish and fish oil consumption increased by almost half and more for girls than boys. Those who did not have fish before the intervention liked it better after the intervention.  

The project was carried out under the guidance of Dr. Inga Þórsdóttir Professor of Nutrition at the University of Iceland and Emilia Martinsdóttir (M.Sc) Head of Department at Matís ohf. Examiner was Dr. Ingibjörg Gunnarsdóttir, Associate Professor of Nutrition at the University of Iceland.