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On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Búnaðarsamband Suðurlands 2008, a magnificent and extensive agricultural exhibition will be held at Gaddstaðaflatur by Hella from the 22nd to the 24th. August 2008. Matís will present various agricultural projects that the company is working on at the exhibition.

In addition, those lamb producers will receive information on a survey on interest in cooperating in a development project on smoked and dried lamb, which was presented on Matís' external website earlier this week.

Finally, Matís gives the kids a joy that should be useful at school, which starts in most places next week.

Those who have errands east of the mountain should therefore stop by and observe the ram's head and take part in the tuition fees and, stop by Matís' booth.

Matís is preparing a project on smoked and dried lamb and is looking for cooperation with small, local companies for the development of smoked and dried lamb products. Air-dried lamb should have the same status as air-dried ham (such as Parma, San Daniels and Serrano) in southern Europe.

Matís examines producers' interest in participating in a development project on smoked and dried lamb. The project is divided into two parts, on the one hand education and product development related to local food production and food tourism in Iceland and on the other hand collaboration with parties in the Faroe Islands and Norway on the development of air-dried / smoked lamb products.

The first part of the project is an analysis of the state of affairs in Iceland, i.e. an assessment of how many people are producing or are interested in producing smoked and / or dried mutton and to realize the need for and interest in education, consulting and collaboration on product development and promotion / marketing of these products.

As part of the project, a survey has now been prepared with the aim of examining who is interested in and the current state of production of air-dried lamb is in this country. Matís encourages everyone who is interested in the issue to participate. The survey will be open for participation until 5 September.

Week 17.-24. August, Matís runs a course in collaboration with the University of Iceland, for doctoral students. The title of the course is "Interplay of sensory evaluation, consumer and market factors in product development", and the aim is, as the name implies, to use information on sensory evaluation, consumers and market factors in product development. The course is fully booked and will be attended by a total of 24 students from Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

As stated above, the aim is to utilize information on sensory evaluation, consumers and market factors in product development. The purpose of the course is to train doctoral students in using sensory evaluation methods and consumer surveys in product development, innovation and marketing. The task of the course will be to produce a healthier version of a product that is already on the market. A healthier product can be, for example, a product with a lower content of saturated fat or salt.

The speakers will be Nordic and international experts. Every day there will be theoretical lectures with practical exercises to shed light on the subject. The course is therefore an ideal opportunity for Nordic doctoral students and other students in this field.

The content of the course is:

Product knowledge - Taste and smell of food
• Why is there an interest in the taste and smell of food? The role of raw material treatment, processing and the effect of new ingredients in the formation of taste and smell is a necessary knowledge for product development researchers. A variety of technologies and methods are used in the food industry to reduce fat and salt in foods to meet consumer desires for healthier foods.

Sensory evaluation and training of judges
• In sensory evaluation, definitions of factors that describe the appearance, smell, taste and texture of food are important. Descriptive sensory analysis will be used theoretically and linked to training, monitoring and evaluation of judges.

Factors that affect how consumers experience food perception.
• Expectations affect how much consumers enjoy and like certain foods as well as the taste experience of the food. Information about the health effects of food and the origin of henna is an important message that affects consumer expectations and experiences. 

Different consumer segmentation and product acceptance
• New foods are often designed for specific groups of consumers. Consumers can be divided into groups according to different factors, for example according to geographical factors, attitudes or tastes.

Consumer surveys and the relationship between taste and quality factors (preference mapping)
• Consumer tastes and choices can be linked to the sensory aspects of a product using a method called preference mapping. With this method, sensory evaluation with a trained group is used to explain and predict consumer choices.

Consumer behavior and marketing
• From a marketing perspective, the most interesting research questions related to consumer preferences and behaviors are: Understanding how consumer tastes are formed, how they are stored in memory, and can be influenced, ie what determines whether tastes are determined or not and when external circumstances influence choice and behavior.

Statistics

• Statistics are a key factor in sensory evaluation and consumer research. If the experimental design is not done correctly at the beginning of the experiments, the results of the experiments are very often meaningless both when analyzing sensory evaluation factors and examining consumers' tastes. Statistics and graphical presentation of data are an essential tool in the training of sensory evaluation judges. After collecting data on sensory evaluation factors and consumers, proper statistics and data processing are necessary to ensure that the correct information is obtained from the data. 

For further information, contact Emilía Martinsdóttir, tel. 422 5032 or emilia.martinsdottir@matis.is

Heavy metal pollution in the sea around the country is generally well below international standards, according to a new report by Matís on changes in the marine environment around the country. Heavy metals are elements that originate in nature but their concentration can increase due to human action (eg mining).

Since 1989, an annual monitoring project of pollutants in the marine environment around Iceland has been underway. The project is funded by the Ministry for the Environment and is managed by a so-called AMSUM group, which works under the auspices of the Ministry. Members of this working group are from Matís, the Icelandic Radiation Protection Authority, the Icelandic Meteorological Office, the Icelandic Environment Agency, the Marine Research Institute and the Ministry of the Environment.

Various pollutants in the ocean can enter marine organisms or organisms that feed on seafood. In many cases, this pollution is man-made and there is growing concern about this development. Neither pollution nor animals respect borders, and pollutants reach here by air and sea currents, whether we care about it or not. It is therefore important to monitor the amount of pollutants in this country, whether in the air, on land or in the womb, and no less so in the organisms that live by the land. It is also important to be able to compare our position with the situation in other countries. This is especially important because of the importance of seafood to the nation.

As stated above, the monitoring has been going on since 1989 and its purpose is threefold:.

? Firstly, to examine whether the amount of pollutants is increasing in the sea off Iceland.
? Secondly, to assess whether human health is endangered by the consumption of seafood.
? Thirdly, to assess whether the marine environment is at risk of pollution.

To investigate this, samples of cod and sandeel are taken at four locations around the country each year and mussels are collected at 11 locations around the country.

Cod is chosen for monitoring due to its high distribution and importance in fishing. Cod in general monitoring are in the length range 30-45 cm (3-6 years) and are caught before spawning in March each year. Sand coal is a bottom-dwelling fish species that lives in a relatively demarcated area and is therefore well suited for monitoring. The samples are in the length range of 20-35 cm and taken in March like the cod samples. Mussels are a local species and reflect the presence of pollutants in the coastal area where they live, but samples are taken before spawning in August / September.

These samples measure inorganic (heavy metals) and organic trace elements. The heavy metals lead, cadmium, mercury, copper and zinc, the persistent organic pollutants HCH, HCB, PCB, chloride, DDT and TBT and the radioactive substance Cs-137 are measured. Matís measures heavy metals in the above samples and ensures that persistent organic pollutants are also measured in them.

Matís' report presents the results of the monitoring project for the years 2006 and 2007. The aim of the monitoring project is to identify changes that may occur in the concentration of trace elements in the marine environment around the country during a certain period and between different ocean and coastal areas. Among other things, the research is important for the sale of Icelandic seafood in foreign markets, where it can be demonstrated with scientific data that Icelandic fish is caught in an unpolluted environment.

The report (Monitoring of the marine biosphere around Iceland in 2006 - 2007) states that the concentration of heavy metals such as mercury is very low. However, the concentration of cadmium has sometimes been higher in the marine environment in Iceland than in more southerly areas. However, the amount of cadmium is low in the organisms studied, for example in the range of 0.1-1 mg / kg in mussels. The high concentration of cadmium in Iceland is considered to have natural causes as there has been no evidence of man-made cadmium pollution. Thus, for example, cadmium levels in mussels have been higher in recent years in various places that are far from residential areas and commercial activities, such as in Mjóafjörður, than in Hvalfjörður and Straumsvík.

Read the report

In the picture below, Dr. Sasan Rabieh, employee of Matís' Chemical Research Department and lead author of the report.

The company Loyalty from the sea began the development of spicy silver and salt-puree in 2006, but that year it was awarded a grant from the AVS Research Fund's small project category to develop a product from Icelandic food algae and examine whether the market for those products is opening domestically, examine whether the market is large enough to it pays to take care of it and consider selling sales to foreign health and consumer goods markets. Hollusta from the sea and Matís now plan to complete product development on the above-mentioned product.

The project will review recipes, packaging and appearance in order to highlight the image and properties that are sought, ie. a tasty product with a good shelf life that also brings health and quality. Then a production process will be designed for processing and packaging of the product.

Spicy salt and puree salt, mashed salt, is a new delicacy. There is a spicy kelp in the market abroad, but it is not known that there are spicy salts for sale. This is an exciting product that will no doubt fit in well with the country, given the growing interest in Icelandic cuisine in Iceland, such as sushi, where dried food algae play a major role.

The founder of Hollusta úr hafinu ehf is Eyjólfur Friðgeirsson and the project manager on behalf of Matís is Þóra Valsdóttir. According to Þóra, work on the project will begin in full force in September, but she says that the best time to collect silver is in the spring and autumn. 

The AVS fund and Matís are supporting the new project.

The market for health and target foods of various kinds has grown a lot in recent years, and in the marketing of such a product, various claims have sometimes been made that do not stand up to closer scrutiny. A recent report from Matís contains a detailed summary of various categories of health food, as well as definitions and regulations, the content and function of popular health products and permitted health claims. The main author of the report is Sigrún Mjöll Halldórsdóttir, but the summary is part of her master's project at the Department of Food Science at the University of Iceland, which she is working on at Matís.

In the report entitled HEALTH DIET: A summary of the main categories of health foods and scientific evidence of their effectiveness, states, among other things, that the concept of functional food first appeared in Japan in the seventies of the 20th century after the authorities there wanted to improve public health. Targeted foods have been defined as "foods that have in common that they have been modified for the purpose of having a more positive health effect on the consumer than food unchanged."

When placing health products on the market, many things need to be considered, such as regulations and health statements. Among the things to look at are the questions: When did food become a medicine? How can the consumer be sure of the functionality and excellence of a product? The origins of the summary can be traced to these and other questions that are useful to get answers to.

Sigrún, together with two business students, took part in the Innovit entrepreneurship competition earlier this year and they reached the eight-team finals with a business plan for a product line that contains bioactive peptides (the source of fish muscle proteins produced in Iceprotein). They named the "company" Heilsufæði ehf. and the first product Græðir, which is a health drink with a blood pressure lowering effect. 

According to Sigrún, there is a lot of interest in "bioactive peptides" in the health product market in the world today and research has shown that they have very broad health effects such as blood pressure and cholesterol lowering effects, they are immunosuppressive and counteract overweight and diabetes. Studies have also shown that bioactive peptides derived from fish are stronger and more active than other sources such as milk and soy.

Matís owns and operates the protein processing company Iceprótein ehf in Sauðárkrókur, which develops, produces and will sell wet protein for the fishing industry in Iceland and dried protein for the health and food supplement market. Sigrún says that her master's project is largely about finding new ways to utilize the fish protein that Iceprotein processes, in the greatest possible value.
Among other things, the aim is to produce bioactive peptides with enzyme technology from a material derived from Iceprotein in such a way that they are suitable as additives in health foods. According to Sigrún, the future dream is to work on a foundation in, for example, a health drink, mix these bioactive peptides and put them on the market. Also create all kinds of other health foods that contain these peptides - a kind of product line.

Read the report

A report has been published from Matís ohf. which is called Undesirable substances in seafood products - results from the monitoring activities in 2006. The report shows the results of measurements of the amount of toxic pollutants in Icelandic seafood in 2006 and is part of a continuous monitoring project funded by the Ministry of Fisheries and has been ongoing since 2003. As in previous years of monitoring, the results of 2006 show that an edible part of fish caught in Icelandic waters contains very small amounts of organic pollutants such as dioxins, dioxin-like PCBs and pesticides (insecticides and plant toxins), compared to the maximums recognized by European countries.

The data collected year after year in this project is used to build an increasingly accurate database on the state of Icelandic marine products with regard to pollutants. The report is in English and is accessible on Matís' website so that it can be used by producers, exporters, the government and others to promote the safety and wholesomeness of Icelandic fish products.

This report contains a more detailed assessment of heavy metals and a number of other inorganic trace elements in edible parts of fish than has previously been done in Iceland, but Matís has developed more advanced equipment for such measurements than before. With this equipment, so-called ICP-MS, it is possible in a relatively simple way to detect a large number of inorganic trace elements with greater accuracy than before. The results of heavy metal measurements show that the edible part of the fish was always far below the EU maximum permitted levels for lead, mercury and cadmium. The results of measurements of the inorganic substances classified as essential trace elements in human food will be used in Matís 'nutrient database, ISGEM, which is accessible on Matís' website, but also to assess the value of fish products as a source of such substances in Icelandic food. As in previous years of monitoring, the results for 2006 show that the edible part of fish caught in Icelandic waters contains very small amounts of organic pollutants such as dioxins, dioxin-like PCBs and pesticides (insecticides and plant toxins), compared to the limits set by European countries.

The results of measurements of fishmeal and fish oil for feed preparation confirm the need to closely monitor the levels of persistent organic pollutants such as dioxins, PCBs and pesticides in these products in the spring. The concentration of the substances depends on the nutritional status of the pelagic fish stocks from which the products are processed and reaches its peak during the spawning season. The levels of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs as well as individual pesticides stop exceeding the EU's permitted levels. This is especially true of blue whiting products from the west and north of Scotland.

The author of the report is Ásta Margrét Ásmundsdóttir, project manager.

Read the report

Matís' Department of Biotechnology is currently working on a project aimed at developing and researching various new protease mixtures from cod fillets for the purpose of using the mixtures for the production of hydrolysates (degraded proteins) and peptides from fish with very high antioxidant activity. Preliminary studies have shown that codfish enzyme mixtures can produce peptides with very high antioxidant activity, much higher than peptides obtained from the degradation of other common enzyme mixtures that have been investigated.

By adjusting the concentration and activity of key enzymes in the slag-derived protease mixture, the goal is to be able to control the production of hydrolysates and peptides to produce natural products with very high specific antioxidant activity. These products would be made from protein isolates isolated from unused raw materials (ridges).

The vision is that by the end of this project, large-scale production will begin and sales of various individual industrial enzyme mixtures made from cod liver that would be specifically marketed for the production of bioactive peptides. It is also expected that companies in protein processing in this country will use these unique enzymes for the production of natural antioxidants both for use in food but also market them as healthy food supplements with scientifically proven activity.

Matís - Prokaria's partners in the study are Norðurbragð hf., MPF Ísland, Iceprotein, University of Florida and the director of the study is dr. Hörður G. Kristinsson, Head of the Biochemistry Department at Matís Biotechnology - Prokaria.

Matís is a participant in the project "Production of farmed animals for cod farming" which has now started and whose aim is to promote the safe, stable and cost-effective production of food animals for cod farming. The goal of the project is also to strengthen cooperation between cod fry producers in the Nordic countries.

The aim of this project is, as stated above, the development of a production system that promotes safe, stable and efficient production of food animals for cod in farming. Instructions for production and feeding will be compiled that will deliver high-quality rodents in terms of the combination of nutrients and microbial flora. Sintef has developed a recycling system for the production of wheeled animals and the project will continue to be based on that system (Aquatic Ecosystem Recycling Plant). It is hoped that the project will strengthen co-operation between cod juvenile producers in the Nordic countries in the short and long term, but in addition to Matís, the project SINTEF (Norway), Fiskaaling
(Faroe Islands), IceCod (Iceland), Stofnfiskur (Iceland) and Nordland Marin Yngel (Norway).

The project group includes Rannveig Björnsdóttir, Jónína Jóhannsdóttir and Eydís Elva Þórarinsdóttir. Project manager is Gunvor Öie at SINTEF.

For further information, contact Rannveig Björnsdóttir, Department Manager at Matís, tel. 422 5108.