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Fiber lowers cholesterol and lowers blood sugar

According to a study by Matís (Icelandic Food Research) and the Agricultural University of Iceland, it is possible to increase the health of bread products by using some barley instead of flour. Barley contains fiber that can lower blood cholesterol and have a lowering effect on blood sugar.

"Great progress has been made in the breeding and cultivation of barley in this country. Barley has primarily been used as animal feed, but interest in its use for human consumption has been growing. This is not least because there is more fiber in barley than wheat, "says Ólafur Reykdal, project manager at Matís.

It is important to increase the amount of fiber

Ólafur says that it is possible to increase the health of bread products by using some barley instead of flour. "From a human nutrition point of view, it is important to increase the amount of fiber in the diet of Icelanders. It is particularly interesting that the barley contains water-soluble fiber substances called beta-glucans. These fiber substances can lower blood cholesterol and have a calming effect on blood sugar. "

Ólafur mentions that in experimental barley baking, which took place in three bakeries, satisfactory results were achieved for bread with up to 40% barley against 60% of wheat. "It can therefore be recommended that the baking industry start using barley in its production."

The nutritional value of Icelandic barley was assessed and it turned out to be comparable to what happens abroad. Barley safety was assessed by microbial measurements. Coliforms, Bacillus cereus and Clostridium perfringens were not detected and the number of molds was low.

"All measurements indicate that Icelandic barley is well suited for human consumption," says Ólafur Reykdal at Matís.

The Productivity Fund supported the projects of Matís and the Agricultural University.

Icelanders are probably not unaware of the fact that today is Ash Wednesday and the younger generation is in the process of all sorts of costumes. Several groups have stopped by Matís in Borgartún 21 and sung, some in Danish! We got to snap pictures of these cheerful guests.

Anna Sigrún, receptionist at Matís, was well prepared, wore a purple wig herself and had stocked up on sweets. Singing guests did not come to the empty hut, but both received traditional sweets but were no less happy to receive dried fish for the song.

Most of the singers were students from Laugarnes and Laugarlækjaskóli.

On 14 February, a prototype of software, FisHmark, will be introduced, enabling the management of fisheries companies to carry out more detailed fishing planning. AVS has funded the project. The meeting, which will take place on the 2nd floor of the Radisson Saga Hotel, will begin at 13:30.

With this new software you can:

• Increase the value of seafood and ensure access to demanding specialty markets
• Analyze which factors affect the value of seafood and the performance of fishing and fish processing
• Make proposals for the most cost-effective arrangements for fishing and disposing of catches
• Make it easier for fish sellers to share information about a product, such as its origin
• Connect data from electronic catch diaries, measurements in reception and from information systems about processing and marketing
• Look for the most cost-effective solutions in the value chain of cod products and increase corporate profits

See the program here.

There has been a decrease in trans fatty acids in food in this country in recent years, as stated in an interview by Fréttastofa Stöðvar 2 with Ólaf Reykdal, project manager at Matís. "Individual measurements have been made, but few in recent years, they show that in certain products, the amount of trans fatty acids has decreased," said Ólafur in an interview with Stöð 2.

Trans fatty acids are so-called hardened fats and are highly undesirable, but their consumption raises blood cholesterol and thus increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Ólafur still says something about trans fatty acids in food. But they can be in processed foods such as margarine and biscuits and products that have been deep-fried such as french fries. Ólafur encourages people to look at the product descriptions of products.

Ólafur Reykdal: "If it is stated in the ingredient description that hydrogenated fat has been used, then there is a trans fatty acid, that is, it is hydrogenated."

A new assessment of trans fatty acids in food in Iceland is to be carried out, according to a news item on Station 2.

University students showed great interest in Matís' booth at Framadögur, which took place in Háskólabíó on 1 February. At Framadögur, Matís presented its activities and invited students to work on projects or explore possibilities for summer work.

Many people were interested in working on projects for Matís and there were also many who wanted to apply for a summer job.

Work is now underway to map out how best to conduct fishing with regard to processing. How to maximize the yield of both fishing and fish processing by using information on the quality of fish by fishing area and season and directing the effort accordingly. This results in better raw materials for processing, which in turn leads to more profitable processing and better and more expensive products. It does not matter at all where and when the fish is caught, says Morgunblaðið about Sveinn Margeirsson's doctoral project.

The aim of the project (Vinnsluspá ðorskafla) by Svein, who is the head of the department at Matís, was to collect data on cod fishing and processing of four Icelandic fishing companies, analyze them statistically and set up optimization models to facilitate the management of cod fishing and processing in Iceland, says journalist Hjartar Gíslason's article in Morgunblaðin. "Data on fillet utilization, release and roundworms in cod were collected from 2002 to 2006. All these variables have a significant impact on profits from cod fishing and processing.

Significant differences in fillet utilization by region

The results of the project indicate that the output of the cod value chain can be increased by taking the cod to certain fishing areas and at a certain time of the year, but the results showed that the use of fillets, los and roundworms in cod depend, among other things, on the fishing location and time of year," says the Morgunblaðin article. Sveinn says in the article that the results are actually that there are considerable differences in fillet utilization depending on the region and time of year.

"There was a direct relationship between the weight of the fish and the age of the raw material, as well as the time at which the fish was caught. There was also a relationship between worms in the fish and its size, and the number of worms also depended somewhat on where the fish was caught. The next step was then to build an action analysis or optimization model on all this information. It took these results, processed them further and put them into context with oil prices, distance on the tickets and other things like that. In this way, it was possible to get an estimate of where it would be most profitable to pick up the fish."

The full interview can be read in Morgunblaðið on Wednesday 30 January 2008.

Matís will present his activities and projects at the Future Days at Háskólabíó next Friday, the first of February. The aim of Framadögur is to increase communication between the business community and the educational community and to introduce university students to the many opportunities inherent in their studies.

The program starts at 11:00 and ends at 17:00.

You can get more information about what Matís does in the Future Days here.