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Matvælarannsóknir Íslands (Matís) has entered into a collaboration agreement with the innovation company Bitland Enterprises (BE), which makes it possible for Matís to offer its services and advice in more places in Northern Europe than before. These include collaboration with companies in the food industry and collaborative projects through research funds in Europe.

Matís has emphasized offering its advice and services in the food industry beyond Iceland, and the aim of the agreement is to make it easier for the company to achieve its goals. Matís has already taken the first step in that direction in collaboration with the Norwegian research company SINTEF at the end of last year. It is hoped that the agreement with BE will increase Matís' potential in more areas. BE, based in Denmark and the Faroe Islands, has many years of experience in project management and through funds and in collaboration with companies in various industries, and Matís will focus on offering BE's services in Iceland.

"The goal is first and foremost to offer food companies in Iceland, the Faroe Islands and other countries more solid knowledge for continued development in the food industry. We also focus on facilitating Matís and BE's participation in innovation projects, especially through international projects, ”says Sjöfn Sigurgísladóttir, CEO of Matís.

The dried fish producer Gullfiskur used an innovative flavor in an advertisement in the media when the company referred to Matís' report on the health of dried fish. The ad, which is called Protein Bomb, says that according to a new report from Matís, dried fish is even healthier than previously thought.

Matís' report, published in mid-2007, states that dried fish is a very healthy food, light, nutritious and rich in protein. It states that dried fish is a rich source of protein with an 80-85% protein content.

It has become increasingly clear that fish protein is important in terms of hygiene. For example, fresh haddock has a 17-19% protein content, while haddock dried fish has a 75-80% protein content. It is estimated that a healthy adult needs 0.75 g of protein per kg of body weight. Therefore, a man weighing 70 kg needs 53 g of protein per day. To get this amount from dried fish, he needs to eat over 66 g. A woman weighing 55 kg needs 41 g of protein a day, or 51 g of dried fish.

Dried fish is therefore suitable for those who seek to get additional protein from their diet, such as for people who do mountaineering or sports and fitness. Furthermore, it has been found that the salt content is somewhat higher in dried fish that is dried indoors than fish that is dried outdoors. However, the salt content of the product can be controlled and it is therefore easy to control such use. Trace elements (elements) are well within the recommended daily allowance, except selenium. The amount of selenium in 100 g is three times the recommended daily dose but is not considered harmful in any way.

You can read Matís' report on the health of dried fish here.

Gullfisk's advertisement is here.

Sveinn Margeirsson, head of department at Matís, defended his doctoral thesis at the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Iceland on Friday, 18 January. The project, called the Cod Processing Forecast, deals with how to maximize fish yields.

The aim of the project was to collect data on cod fishing and processing by four Icelandic fisheries companies, analyze them statistically and set up optimization models to facilitate the management of fishing and processing of cod in Icelandic waters. Data on fillet utilization, release and roundworms in cod were collected from 2002 to 2006. All of these variables have a significant impact on profits from cod fishing and processing.

The results of the project indicate that the yield of the value chain of cod can be increased by catching the cod in certain fishing areas and at a certain time of year, but the results showed that fillet utilization, release and roundworms in cod depend on fishing location and season.

Partners in Sveinn's doctoral project were: Samherji, Fisk Seafood, Vísir and Guðmundur Runólfsson hf. Grundarfjörður.

NMKL (Nordisk Metodikkomité for Næringsmidler) is now waiting for a course in sensory evaluation of drinking water at Matís at Skúlagata on 12 February. The course is based on a new and recognized sensory assessment method from the Nordic Committee for Food Analysis (NMKL). The method is one of the first sensory evaluation methods that has been verified between laboratories and gives objective and repeatable results when performed correctly. Until now, sensory evaluation of water has not been harmonized between laboratories.

Participants: Staff of institutions or companies that have a need for simple, quick and objective sensory evaluation of drinking water, such as staff of water utilities, health representatives and more.

Course content: The course covers practical theories of sensory evaluation, a detailed review of the sensory evaluation method and sensory evaluation analysis of drinking water. The course is based on two methods: NMKL method no. 183, 2005: Sensory quality control test of drinking water and NMKL procedure no. 11,2002: Sensory assessment of drinking water.

Place and time: February 12, 2008 Matís, Skúlagata 4, Reykjavik.

The course will be held in ENGLISH by Steffen Solem, Eurofins -Norsk Matanalyse.

Further information about the course.

You can view the ad here.

Matís is advertising for a product development specialist at the Höfn office, which is intended to promote food tourism in the Southeast. It is desirable that the employee in question lives in the area.

Area of work
Work to strengthen food tourism nationwide with an emphasis on the Southeast as well as other product development projects. It is desirable that the employee in question lives in the area.

The job includes e.g.
• Develop local food ideas. • Work with food tourism partners in the Southeast. • Promote projects related to the economy in the area. • Design and development of processing processes.

Qualification requirements
University education in food engineering, engineering, biology or fisheries science. Experience in product development is an advantage.

For further information, please contact: ingibjorg.s.sigurdardottir@matis.is

The Mozambique Fisheries Surveillance Authority can now ensure safe drinking water for the inhabitants of three cities and strengthen quality control in food production following Matís' course in microbiological measurements in that country.

Two Matís employees, Franklín Georgsson and Margrét Geirsdóttir, held courses in the cities of Maputo, Beira and Quelimane under the auspices of the Icelandic International Development Agency (ICEIDA) at the end of last year to train experts and staff of the institute's microbiological measurements on water. As a result, it will be possible to offer reliable quality and safety measurements of water for food production, in addition to ensuring a safe drinking water for the number of inhabitants.

In recent years, the Icelandic Development Cooperation Agency has supported the government of Mozambique in the development of official quality control in the fisheries sector, and the laboratories and the training of their employees are part of that cooperation.

More about Matís' food safety division.

The thoughtful people of the future eat healthy, do not smoke and are well paid, according to an interview with Ragnar Jóhannsson, division manager at Matís, in Morgunblaðið. He says that this is an ever-expanding market that is worth exploring.

It says that the commercial products are fragile and have a limited shelf life, such as fish and vegetables that often have to be transported long distances. "The food of the future for thinking people will increasingly revolve around both healthy and fresh, since healthy food is also the freshest available. This is a food that contains phospholipids with a high proportion of omega-3 fatty acids as well as antioxidants, which come naturally to them. Examples of this are fish and vegetables. However, these food products are usually fragile and have a limited shelf life," says Ragnar.Well-educated people with a lot of money

It is also stated that the life expectancy of Europeans is increasing, although the probability of a healthy life has not grown as fast. "A growing proportion of Europeans are therefore well-educated people with ample financial resources and that is exactly the thinking market of the future. These are people who want to be as fit in their fifties and twenties and these people prefer to be able to run a half marathon in their seventies. In this context, it is appropriate to recall the story of the Greek goddess Eos, who asked the god Zeus to immortalize his beloved lover Tithonus. Zeus responded well to the request, but forgot to give his lover a beautiful eternal youth. It so happened that the goddess Eos spent many thousands of years in care and aging services with an elderly man. Naturally, we do not want to get into this, "says Ragnar in a conversation with Jjóhanna Ingvarsdóttir, a journalist from Morgunblaðið.To maintain the glow of youth

The interview also shows that in order to maintain youthful radiance and health, there are three main effects: food, exercise and heredity. "We simply have to take what is involved in genetics because the inheritance has been" messed up "immediately at conception and we can not change anything in that regard," says Ragnar.

"In fact, we would have had to choose our parents diligently before conception in order to influence that aspect of existence. However, both exercise and diet have a lot to say about how we feel about getting angry. It has been shown that exercise and brain exercises produce a higher amount of positive fatty acids in the blood than otherwise, which means in other words that using the body instead of standing still increases its durability," says Ragnarí in an interview with Morgunblaðið.

The interview can be read in its entirety in Morgunblaðið on 3 January.

Matís wants to promote food tourism in the Southeast and the company wants to collaborate with interested parties in the area who have a good idea for local food. Guðmundur H. Gunnarsson, Matís' project manager at Höfn, says that the goal of the project is to strengthen the economy and increase margins through further processing of local products in the area.

"We are looking for partners in food tourism. The project involves the development of products from local ingredients that can be sold to tourists in the area. "

He says that food tourism seeks to produce food from local ingredients that appeal to tourists. "In this way, it is possible to increase margins within the area both through further processing of raw materials, sales of local products and longer stays for tourists. It is clear that the demand for local products has increased, partly due to tourists' interest in experiencing and taking with them the uniqueness of areas when it comes to food, "says Guðmundur. "We want to further encourage this interest and help the locals gain a foothold in this field."

Food tourism is part of cultural and recreational tourism

"We are feeling the growing interest of locals in the integration of food, culture and tourism. A good example of this is the establishment of the cluster In the State of Vatnajökull, which works to promote such integration. There, parties in the area agree on its overall marketing. It is also clear that the target group is present in the area. According to research, it is estimated that half of all foreign tourists visit the area during the summer, or about 120,000 a year, and that will only increase, "says Guðmundur.

He says that food tourism actually involves the experience of a certain place or area through the consumption of local or regional food and drink. "Raw materials and production methods that are common in the area are highlighted there, creating a unique position. Food tourism can therefore be part of cultural and entertainment-related tourism, such as in restaurants that offer guests local products, such as lobster here in Höfn. Then you can think of sales of farmers' home production, food festivals and cooking courses, for example, "says Guðmundur.

He says that Matís is interested in supporting the development of food tourism nationwide but with an emphasis on the Southeast. "We want to be involved in the development of products from local ingredients with interested parties in this area. Matís' contribution includes expertise and equipment for product development and support from idea to product. "

People enjoy fish meals better and can think of buying fish more often if they receive instruction in quality assessment of fish, according to a survey conducted by Matís among fish consumers.

A course was held on how to assess the freshness of fish for consumers. The course was divided into two parts. In the first part, consumers were given a short lecture on the quality characteristics of cod and how it changes during storage. They were trained to evaluate the freshness of raw and boiled cod fillets of different freshness according to rating scales.

In the second part of the course, the same consumers were asked to rate raw and cooked fillets according to their own taste and also to evaluate freshness. Furthermore, they were asked for suggestions regarding the instructions, the grading scales and whether the content of the course was useful. The results of the course indicated that guidelines of this kind are fully relevant to consumers.

The course participants' assessment of raw and cooked fish fillets according to grading scales showed that they were quick to adopt the methods and descriptions given of different raw materials. At the end of the course, the participants in question were more confident in assessing the quality of fish, believing that they would enjoy fish meals better than before and that they would buy fish more often than before.

The results of the project, entitled Knowledgeable Fish Consumers, provide evidence that people benefit from guidelines on handling and quality. It would be prudent to follow up the project with a larger group of consumers, both to obtain a more reliable assessment of the usefulness of this type of guidance, as well as to monitor the long-term impact of this type of information.

You can read about the results of the survey here.