Matís
Applications can be sent to birna.eggertsdottir@matis.is. The application deadline is July 1.
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The aim of the project was to develop a new genetic marker for cod that could be put together in a so-called genetic marker set. It is considered necessary to have about 10 genetic markers in parental analyzes and preferably about 20 genetic markers in stock and source analyzes. In the project, part of the cod's genome was sequenced. Areas with a special enrichment method developed by Prokaria were selected.
Matís' biotechnology department developed two diagnostic kits, one with 9 genetic markers and the other with 10 genetic markers, which have been tested on a number of cod samples. The MRI's geneticists have also conducted experiments and analyzes on the two genetic markers that are ready.
In addition, there are many useful genetic markers in Matís that are not included in the diagnostic kit but can be used as individual genetic markers. Matís has already started utilizing the diagnostic kits and many companies, Icelandic and foreign, have taken advantage of the services that the company offers in cod genetic analysis. In addition to creating practical equipment for research on cod, the project has provided training for students at the upper secondary level and a scientific article has been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
Sustainable development is the development that enables people to meet their needs without reducing the possibilities for future generations to do the same. At an international working meeting of Matís (Matvælarannsóknir Íslands) and Faroese and Icelandic representatives related to the fisheries sector, a broad consensus was reached on the importance of maintaining sustainability in terms of fishing, processing and transport in foreign markets.
The workshop is part of a West Nordic project, led by Matís, called "Sustainable Food Information". The project aims to make it easier for companies in the food industry, such as fisheries companies, to demonstrate sustainability. Particular attention is paid to the traceability of marine products, from the target to the consumer, which is the basis for demonstrating sustainable fishing.
"Demands for sustainability in the fisheries sector and traceability are constantly increasing, not least abroad," says Sveinn Margeirsson, department manager at Matís. "Awareness of environmental issues has increased and the market's demands are that it can be demonstrated that marine products are produced without over-exploiting resources and that ways are sought to minimize pollution," says Sveinn.
"Icelanders are in many ways well positioned and have an advantage over many other nations when it comes to traceability. The next step is to use traceability to demonstrate sustainability in the fisheries sector. That is why it is important for Icelanders to remain vigilant and ensure that they remain at the forefront of discussions on such issues in the future. "
Upper picture: Gísli Svan Einarsson, director of Versins-Vísindagarður in Skagafjörður, Sveinn Margeirsson, Matís, and Ólavur Gregersen, project manager of Sustainable Food Information.
About the survey.
A similar survey is conducted simultaneously by consumers in all the Nordic countries and the purpose is to examine consumers' attitudes towards health claims and how they understand different health claims. The results of the survey will be presented to stakeholders in all countries, as well as food companies, consumer organizations and the authorities.
There is currently a European regulation on health claims in food and the results of the survey will be used to influence its content.
There is a growing trend for food to be labeled with so-called health claims. There may be claims about the nutritional content of foods such as low fat, cholesterol free, low in calories and about the effect of consuming individual foods on consumer health for example lowering cholesterol, protecting dental health and so on.
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A conference on sustainability in the fishing industry will take place at Sauðárkrók on June 14. It is part of a West Nordic project called "Sustainable Food Information" and its aim is to make it easier for companies in the food industry, such as fishing companies, to demonstrate sustainability in fishing, processing and sales. The Food Research Institute of Iceland (Matís) is in charge of organizing the conference, says the Markadarsin article.
"There, people say that sustainability has become a particularly important concept in the fishing industry in light of the ever-increasing demands of sellers, retail chains and consumers that the ocean's resources are not harmed and that pollution during fishing, processing and transportation of seafood is kept to a minimum. In order to demonstrate sustainability, however, it is necessary to be able to trace the process that takes place in the food industry," says the Markadarin article.
Icelanders are at the forefront
Sveinn Margeirsson, head of the department in the field called new technology and markets at Matís ohf., says that a lot of good work has been done in this regard in this country. "We're really great at traceability here," he says, but by being able to trace the process, you get detailed information about the product. Sellers who have a "quality product" are said to be better able to differentiate themselves from others on the market."
Then Sveinn says: "Firstly, it's about the consumer being able to know where the product comes from, but that's the aspect that most people know, and secondly, about being able to track exactly which way the product went." If we take the example of lamb meat, the path from the farmer to the consumer goes through slaughter, meat processing, distribution and trade." Sveinn says Icelanders are generally ahead in the food industry in terms of traceability "and very ahead in the fishing industry internationally".
DNA microarrays are currently in use almost exclusively as research tools for gene expression analysis and their application for the identification of organisms is still in its infancy, only documented by a few studies on mammals, bacteria, and viruses. The "Fish & Chips" project aims to demonstrate that DNA chips can be a new innovative tool for the identification of marine animals and phytoplankton. To achieve this goal, fishes, invertebrates, and phytoplankton were sampled in European seas and taxonomically classified. Fragments of their mitochondrial 16S, cyt b, and COI genes and from the nuclear 18S genes were sequenced and served as molecular markers to enable probe design for the microarrays. An on-line database containing the sequences and all relevant information of the samples has been implemented. A first prototype of a Fish Chip ", is based on more than 400 sequences from the 16S rRNA gene belonging to 46 species. A second microarray prototype serves to identify flatfish from the North Sea based on COI and 16S sequences from 70 individuals of 17 fish species. A" Phytoplankton Chip ” is now available with probes for all microalgal classes and many toxic species, as well as a ” Invertebrate Chip ". The results show that this approach is feasible.
A hot water drilling system designed to penetrate to subglacial lakes with a minimum risk of biological contamination has been built and tested. The system uses a heat exchanger to melt snow in a plastic container and the meltwater is pumped through filters and a UV sterilization unit before entering a high pressure pump and heater. The drill hose is made of synthetic rubber and reinforced with high-tensile steel braids. The drill stem is made of stainless steel and is fitted with an exchangeable nozzle. The flow rate of the drilling water at full load is 450 l / hr. The drilling speed set by a winch can be varied between 1.5 mm / s and 1.5 cm / s. In tests of the sterilization efficiency of the system using snow and tap water spiked with bacteria, reduction of cell counts and attenuation of colony forming units to undetectable levels in the drilling water has been achieved. Calculations of heat loss in the drilling hose indicate that the temperature at the drill stem drops from 90 degrees C at the surface to 33 degrees C at 300 m depth; the typical thickness of ice-cover above subglacial lakes in the Vatnajokull ice cap, Iceland. Assuming a drilling speed of 25 m / hr the drill can produce a 300 m deep borehole with a minimum diameter close to 10 cm in 12 hours.
The aim was to develop and evaluate a Quality Index Method (QIM) scheme for fresh cod fillets. Cod fillets were stored at 0–1 ° C on ice up to 14 days. Total viable counts (TVC) and counts of H2S-producing bacteria were done. A QIM scheme for fresh cod fillets to evaluate freshness was proposed. A high correlation between the Quality Index (QI) and storage time on ice was found. The remaining storage time could be estimated with accuracy of ± 1.3 days when the cod fillets were evaluated with QIM. The maximum storage time was estimated 8 days based on Quantitative Descriptive Analysis and H2S-producing bacteria counts.
The effect of hemoglobin from Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) on formation of volatile compounds in washed cod model system was studied by GC analysis during chilled storage. Pro-oxidative effect of cod hemoglobin compared to char hemoglobin was observed as higher initial levels of hexanal, cis-4-heptenal and 2,4-heptadienal contributing to higher rancid odor sensory scores. This was in agreement with TBARS and changes in color indicating faster initial oxidation catalyzed by cod hemoglobin. The aldehydes appeared to decline towards the end of the storage time in agreement with TBARS; however, levels of 2,4-heptadienal were considerably higher after 4 days of storage in the arctic char hemoglobin catalyzed system.