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Saltfish processing has undergone major changes in recent years. Such an effect was previously based on simple static salting, but new methods of action have resulted in producers up to a 15% increase in total utilization, says an article by Krístinar Þórarinsdóttir and Sigurjón Arason at Matís (Matvælarannsóknir Íslands).

It was at the turn of the century in 1800 that Icelanders sent out saltfish cargo on their own for the first time. Since then, Iceland's salted fish processing has gradually increased, and at the beginning of the 21st century, salted fish is still an important export product, although new and changed storage methods have emerged in the meantime.

In this connection, it can be mentioned that the total value of salted fish was ISK 17.3 billion, or about 16.5% of the total export value of marine products in 2006. Wet-processed salted fish from cod yielded the largest export value, amounting to ISK 11.4 billion. The production value of salted and hardened products increased by 17.5% and the volume by 1.4%.

You can read the whole article here.

A working meeting of Icelandic and Faroese parties on sustainability in the fishing industry will take place at Sauðárkrók on June 14. The meeting is part of a West Nordic project called "Sustainable Food Information", which aims to make it easier for companies in the food industry, such as fishing companies, to demonstrate sustainability in fishing, processing and sales.

Matvælarannsóknir Íslands (Matís) is responsible for organizing the meeting, which is only intended for parties in the fisheries sector.

Sustainability has become a particularly important concept in the fisheries sector in light of the ever-increasing demands of sellers, retail chains and consumers not to waste marine resources. Great emphasis is also placed on traceability in the discussion on sustainability in the fishing industry. Traceability provides accurate information about the product and sellers who have a quality product can differentiate themselves better from others in the market.

Traceability is therefore an important link in eco-labeling
seafood. More about the conference here.

The workshop takes place in Verin Vísindagörður in Sauðárkrókur.

In a new Matís report, called The value and safety of Icelandic seafood. Risk composition and risk ranking discusses basic work on risk assessment for cod, shrimp, redfish, haddock, halibut, herring, saithe and kúfisk. These species were mapped in terms of potential risks to their consumption, thus obtaining their risk composition and a semi-quantitative risk assessment performed on them.

The risk assessment used a calculation model that has been developed in Australia and is called Risk Ranger. The risk assessment used data on consumption habits (dosages, frequency, etc.), as well as the frequency and causes of foodborne illness. Thus, the risk associated with the consumption of these marine products was calculated, based on certain assumptions.

The reliability of a risk assessment depends on the data and information used in its implementation. According to the available measurement data and given assumptions, the above-mentioned seafood products are classified in the lowest risk category (level <32) - which means low risk, compared to healthy individuals.

In international food markets, Icelandic seafood has a good reputation for health and safety. However, as concerns about food safety have increased in many parts of the world in recent years, it is necessary for Icelanders to maintain this good reputation through high-quality research.

Read the report

With so-called supercooling of fish fillets and fillet pieces, it is possible to significantly increase the shelf life of the fillets, improve their quality and get higher prices in foreign fish markets, according to Morgunblaðið today, 11 May. There is a discussion with Sigurjón Arason, department manager at Matís, about the benefits of supercooling. Matís has worked on the development of such a method with fish processing and the results are impressive, according to Morgunblaðið.

Sigurjón says that with supercooling, the temperature is kept well below zero degrees, as low as possible without the ice crystals that form in the fish flesh starting to damage themselves and reduce the quality of the fillets. "This is how we lower the temperature to minus 1 to minus 1.5 degrees," says Sigurjón.

He says: “Today, fish processing and the export of fish is nothing but the export of knowledge. To combine such knowledge, as we do, is the export of knowledge. To always be able to say that fish at this time of year, and of this or that fishing area, is not good enough to be exported as fresh fillets, is of course nothing more than knowledge. The handling on board the ships and the processing method on land is nothing but knowledge. Therefore, it can be said that the fishing industry has become a very technological knowledge industry today, "says Sigurjón in a conversation with Hjört Gíslason, journalist of Morgunblaðið.

Annual General Meeting of Matís ohf. for 2006 was held on Tuesday, May 8, in accordance with the law. of the company This was a meeting due to the preparation period on 14 September. until the end of the year when preparations were made for the establishment of Matís, but the company began operations on 1 January 2007.

The company's board was re-elected for one year and Friðrik Friðriksson is the chairman of the board.
Others on the board are:

• Guðrún Elsa Gunnarsdóttir
• Jón Eðvald Friðriksson
• Sigríður Sía Jónsdóttir
• Einar Matthíasson
• Arnar Sigurmundsson
• Ágústa Guðmundsdóttir

The report is entitled Characterization of cod myosin aggregates using static and dynamic light scattering and discusses research conducted on Matís on myosin from cod.

Myosin is one of the main building blocks of muscle, both terrestrial and marine. If cross-sectional muscle cells are examined under a microscope, some kind of streak or band can be seen inside the cells. These ligaments mainly contain so-called contraction proteins that make muscle contraction possible. The major contractile proteins are myosin and actin. In the muscle, the molecules of each protein are wrapped in strands, the myosin strands are much thicker and are therefore called the thick strands. The actin filaments, or thin filaments, have evenly distributed terminals for myosin. Myosin and actin are therefore linked in the muscle. When the muscle dissolves, however, this over-organized complex of proteins is disrupted, and actin and myosin can be separated.

Mammalian myosin has been extensively studied, but less frequently in fish. One possible reason is that fish myosin is more unstable than, for example, mammalian myosin. However, it is worth examining its behavior in aqueous solutions, considering that it is probably the main driving force behind the formation of protein gels such as surimi and related foods.

Read the report

The growth rate of cod in aquaculture can be increased using a natural method, according to results from the European project CODLIGHT-TECH, which is led by scientists at Matvælarannsóknir Íslands (Matís). The results indicate that it is possible to encourage growth and slow down the puberty of cod in aquaculture. These results are innovative and important in the development of cod farming in the world, but they can contribute to shorter farming times, improved feed utilization and more efficient cod farming.

Furthermore, it can be said that the results are interesting because energy prices are low in Iceland and therefore this is a real option for Icelandic farmers.

The research is a joint project of Matís, Hraðfrystihús Gunnvarar and Álfsfell in Ísafjörður, Stirling University and Johnson Seafarms in Scotland, Intravision Group, the Marine Research Institute in Bergen and Fjord Marin in Norway and the Agricultural University of Lund in Sweden. In addition, Vaki DNG participates in the project.

Dr. Þorleifur Ágústsson, project manager at Matís, says that it is very important to be able to prevent sexual maturation in cod in farming. When a cod reaches sexual maturity, it stops growing so that the rearing period is extended with associated costs for the farmer.

It is also known that cod spawn in sea cages and therefore it can be considered that fertilized eggs are released into the environment, but it should be noted that no negative mixing of genetic material has been shown and such research is still in its infancy. This is a very important step towards making fire an environmentally friendly industry with improved feed utilization, which means that less feed falls to the bottom under pens. "In parallel with this research, Matís and partners are working on extensive research into the environmental impact of aquaculture with the aim of increasing the sustainability of cod farming, which means that the resource is not wasted," says Dr. Þorleifur Ágústsson.

"Following the debate in Europe on aquaculture, it is clear that cod farming is generally considered to be the next major aquaculture industry after salmon farming. It is predicted that by 2010 European nations' production of farmed cod will reach around 175,000 tonnes, with a market value of around EUR 880 million. Therefore, producers place great emphasis on defining and solving the problems that can affect the development of the industry, but one of those problems is the sexual maturity of farmed cod, "says Þorleifur.

There has been some discussion recently about a project that Matís is working on, called Codlight, which aims, among other things, to delay the maturation of farmed cod by using special lights. Today and tomorrow there are meetings in Ísafjörður in the project.

A news item on BB's website in Ísafjörður states that Matís ohf, together with partners in the European project Codlight-tech, will hold a project meeting in Ísafjörður on 2 and 3 May. The project, which has been worked on in Álftafjörður as well as Norway and Scotland, is about using high-tech lighting equipment to prevent the sexual maturation of cod in farming. On the occasion of the meeting, Matís' partner in the project, Johnson Seafarms, will present their company and production.

Johnson Seafarms is one of the oldest farming companies in the British Isles and the largest single cod farming company in the world. Johnson's production is about 2000 tons of cod per year and the company's forecasts assume that in 2010 the production of farmed cod will be around 15 thousand tons. Johnson Seafarms is known in the British Isles for the "No Catch" brand - and in the lecture, Alan Bourhill, the company's research director and welfare representative, will discuss the origin of this brand and its importance in marketing.

Partners in the Codlight-tech project are in addition to Matís ohf who is in charge of the project: Hraðfrystihúsið Gunnvör, Álfsfell, Havsforsknings institutet in Bergen and Fjord Marin in Norway, Stirling University and Johnson Seafarms in Scotland, Landbúnaðarháskólinn in Uppsala in Sweden and Intravision Group in Sweden manufacturer of lighting equipment.

The lecture starts at 13 today, 2 May in the Development Center in Ísafjörður and is open to everyone. The lecture is in English.