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News

250 pickers

Contact

Sophie Jensen

Project Manager

sophie.jensen@matis.is

Employees in one of Grafarholt's larger buildings will not leave their (and others') left on Monday between 11 and 13, but then all the employees of Vínlandsleiðir 12-16 plan to pick in their immediate surroundings, but a rough estimate is that well over three hundred people can be expected when it is at its peak. Tómas from the Blue Army is going to put the rubbish in place at Sorpa's! 😉

With this, the companies want to draw attention to the social responsibility that rests on all of us, individuals, institutions and companies, to reduce waste in the environment.

In addition, Matís employees challenge others to do the same and we especially mention Nýsköpunarmiðstöð, Keldur and Matvælastofnun to hurry up!

News

Matís and Pure Natura work together with by-products of sheep products

Contact

Rósa Jónsdóttir

Research Group Leader

rosa.jonsdottir@matis.is

A very exciting project has received a grant of ISK 20 million from the Rannís Technology Development Fund, but the project will continue with the development of food-processed supplements from by-products of sheep products. 

The grant is for two years and the intention is to find at least four new raw materials from Icelandic lambs that can be used in food supplement production and develop high-quality products from them. 

Be sure to follow on the Matís and Pure Natura website how this project is progressing. You can sign up for Matís' mailing list below, on the left side of the page. 

News

Are chicken feathers an underutilized resource?

In Iceland, chicken feathers have so far been landfilled, but it is necessary to establish the utilization of this raw material, as the national plan for waste treatment assumes that landfilling of organic waste will be reduced to 35% of the total volume on 1 July 2020.

It is known abroad to recycle chicken feathers into protein flour by various methods, but the knowledge has not been transferred to domestic production, so now the intention is to process protein-rich flour that is suitable for making feed from Icelandic chicken feathers. Experiments will be made on the processing of chicken feathers, in collaboration with Reykjagarður, where the protein will be broken down into smaller units. Feather meal can be used in feed for pigs, fur animals, pets and fish.

The aim of the project is to turn an underutilized product (raw material that costs money into landfilling) into valuable, protein-rich flour that is used in feed production, to reduce the environmental impact of Icelandic industry and increase utilization in chicken production. The project is also an effort to meet the goals of the national plan, which aims to significantly reduce the landfill of organic waste by 2020. It can be estimated that around and over 2000 tonnes of chicken feathers are landfilled annually in Iceland. No efficient processing channels for feathers have been developed so far, but the project will lay the foundation for the efficient utilization of local raw materials in Iceland to reduce the environmental impact of Icelandic food production.

Agricultural Productivity Fund and AVS Fisheries Research Fund strengthen the project.

News

Support for small producers has seldom been more important

Contact

Þóra Valsdóttir

Project Manager

thora.valsdottir@matis.is

The Icelandic Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers was in the years 2014-2016 and the program was named The Nordic Bioeconomy Initiative, or NordBio. As a result, a project was launched, "Innovation small producers - Nordbio"Where the main emphasis was on following up and further supporting small producers following innovation projects carried out under the NordBio presidency program. A report from that project can be found at Matís website . 

The main objective of the innovation projects for small producers was to have a direct economic impact through innovation and value creation in the Nordic bioeconomy, thus strengthening regional economic growth. Work was done on 17 innovation projects.

The experience of the projects was that knowledge and training are necessary for ideas to come true and to enable producers to meet all food safety requirements.

The Nordbio innovation projects have shown that the use of some kind of "innovation credit" can be an effective way of encouraging innovation, knowledge transfer and technology to increase the value of living resources. It has been shown that there is a great need to offer this type of grant to small producers and entrepreneurs in order to stimulate innovation and unleash the power of imagination. 

It would be a great incentive to establish a fund that can contribute to innovation in the spirit of the Nordbio projects, especially in light of the opportunities that now lie hidden in the increase in the number of tourists making their way to Iceland. 

News

The golden head - Physical and chemical properties of cod heads

Elísa Viðarsdóttir will give an open lecture at Matís, Vínlandsleið 12, room 312 on Tuesday 10 April at 15.45. Her project is called: 

The golden head. Physical and chemical properties of cod heads. "The Golden head. Effect of size and season of catch on physicochemical properties of cod heads“.

Elísa's supervisors are Sigurjón Arason and Magnea Guðrún Karlsdóttir from Matís and María Guðjónsdóttir from the University of Iceland. 

Catches of cod are in significant quantities and began early in Iceland, and cod has been one of the most important fish species in Iceland. The utilization of cod is good compared to many other species. The utilization of heads, especially for trawlers, has not been good enough, however, because the majority of freezer trawlers have not been able to bring their heads ashore due to lack of space and lack of equipment.

The aim of the project was primarily to promote further development and utilization of valuable products made from cod heads (Gadus morhua) to meet requests for new products in response to the volatile market for dried cod heads. The first step towards further development and value creation was to create an important knowledge database on the chemical and physical properties of different parts of the head, ie. cheeks, gills, eyes, brain and gels. When creating the database, it was necessary to take into account factors such as the biological variability of the fish, the time of year of fishing and the size of the fish. Once these factors have been carefully mapped, the path to further product development and value creation will become more purposeful.

Samples were taken in May and November 2017. Cats' eyes, brains, cheeks, gels and gills were examined separately with respect to fish size and season of fishing. The results of the measurements showed, for example, that the fat content in the brain was considerably higher than the fat content in the other four parts that were measured. The highest fat content was found in 6-7 kg of fish caught in November and its fat content was about 5%, but the fat content in the other parts (eyes, gills, cheeks and gels) was in the range of 0.2-0.9%. The results of this study showed that water always goes hand in hand with protein and fat in different parts of the head. When the water content was high, the fat and protein content were low. The ash content of the gills was higher than in all the other parts, probably due to the fact that the gills have a different composition than the other parts. The omega-6 / omega-3 ratio was high in all the components measured but in varying amounts. This high percentage is considered good for human health and therefore one more reason to work these parts out of the head separately.

Based on the results obtained from the chemical analysis of different parts of the head, there is every reason to work on these parts separately to increase the value of the head.

News

Improving the well-being of the elderly with 3D-printed food?

Björn Viðar Aðalbjörnsson, an employee of Matís and the University of Iceland, recently received a grant from the Student Innovation Fund for two students, but the intention is to explore new ways to improve health, reduce drug costs and increase the quality of life of the elderly. 

Nutrition in old age can be problematic and often reduces the appetite of older people. This can lead to malnutrition which has a variety of health problems. Anorexia can cause a lot of weight loss along with fatigue and discomfort. A sign of malnutrition is a low body mass index associated with weight loss. This is a known risk factor for death in the elderly and also increases the risk of accidents due to weakness. Increased appetite and improved well-being of the elderly play a major role in nutritional intake. Nutritional intake is important for patients who are recovering from surgery or accident. 

The aim of the project is to shorten hospitalization or presence in hospitals by simply changing the appearance of the food on offer. Shorter attendance at a hospital means a better quality of life for older people and consequently less strain on the health system with associated savings for society.

News

Nordic House Environment Festival - Make homes greener!

The weekend 7.-8. April, a varied environmental program will be offered at the Nordic House for guests of all ages. The goal is to present simple and fun solutions that promote environmentally friendly and greener homes.

Workshops, lectures, seminars, presentations, design exhibitions and documentaries will be offered, among other things. The events have in common to present ways to make better use of the values all around us and reduce waste in various areas.

Our homes - houses and gardens - are small ecosystems where we set the rules!

The main partners are: Garðyrkjufélag Íslands, Landvernd, Listaháskóli Íslands, Matís, Sorpa, Umhverfisstofnun and Vakandi. The Nordic Focus is involved in planning and sponsoring the environmental festival.

Participation is free and everyone is welcome as long as accommodation allows. No registration required - just come! 🙂

More about the event can be found at Facebook. 

Events for children / families

  • Landvern Environmental School, Sunday
  • A visit to the greenhouse to Grandma Nature, plant and get good advice for the garden, Saturday and Sunday at 13-16
  • The Wonder Workshop, want to create a weird fish or an alien? You choose! in the workshop, work will be done with textile material that is produced during production in Iceland, Saturday at 14-16 (registration)
  • The spring works in Vatnsmýri, bird protection stands for celebration in the bird sanctuary in Vatnsmýri, a walk for good! Saturday at 13-17.

Other events

  • This is how we reduce food waste / Lectures: Selina Juul from Stop Food Waste and Klaus B. Pedersen from Too Good To Go. Both have received the Nordic Council's Environment Prize for their excellent results in the fight against food waste, Saturday at 16-17. Chat and taste after the lectures.
  • Sauerkraut for gourmets: Dagný Hermannsdóttir teaches guests about both ancient and modern methods of pickling vegetables. Guests get the opportunity to taste unique samples from Dagný's garden! Sunday.
  • Advanced course in composting: Garðyrkjufélag Íslands runs a course in composting and introduces simple methods that are suitable for both the kitchen and the garden. Sunday.
  • All-Icelandic flatbread: food talk and taste, Sveinn Kjartansson TV chef and Flatbökusamsteypan talk about pizza as the perfect flexible recipe AND how to use Icelandic ingredients in an original way, Sunday at 15-17.

Documentaries

  • Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story, award-winning documentary on food waste, Friday 6 April and Sunday 8 April at 18. // http://www.foodwastemovie.com
  • The flatbread conglomerate, at the festival it will be possible to see a short documentary about the Flatbökusamsteypan's urgent food project.

Runs on Saturday and Sunday from 13-17

Educational and presentation booths

Food design: An exhibition organized by design students at the Iceland Academy of the Arts

The theme of the exhibition is food, food experience, food design, underutilized raw materials and innovation. An original, beautiful and thought-provoking show from aspiring product designers.

Sewing workshop: sew your own shopping bag

The Icelandic Women's Association opens a sewing workshop at the Nordic House. Do you have pieces of fabric, strong fabric or curtains at home that deserve new life? Take the materials with you and sew your own shopping bags - or let others enjoy them!

You can send inquiries to kristini@nordichouse.is

Reports

The effects of insulated tub depth on the quality of iced Atlantic cod / Effect of insulated tub depth on the quality of frozen cod

Published:

01/04/2018

Authors:

Rúnar Ingi Tryggvason, Magnea Karlsdóttir, Björn Margeirsson, Sigurjón Arason, Aðalheiður Ólafsdóttir

Supported by:

AVS R&D Fund (R 17 016-17), Technology Development Fund (164698-1061)

Contact

Sigurjón Arason

Chief Engineer

sigurjon.arason@matis.is

The effects of insulated tub depth on the quality of iced Atlantic cod / Effect of insulated tub depth on the quality of frozen cod

The aim of the project was to investigate the quality of cod that had been gutted one day after fishing, frozen and packed in 12 different sized tanks, 4 × 250 L, 4 × 460 L and 4 × 660 L. Experimental fish were monitored at the top and bottom of each tank . The pots were stored in a temperature controlled environment at 1 ° C and measurements were made after 6, 10, 13 and 15 days after packing. To assess the quality of the cod, water loss was used in tanks after storage, processing utilization and sensory evaluation. The results showed that water loss was highest in 660 L pots and lowest in 250 L pots. There was no difference in processing efficiency. In all cases, there was less looseness in the bottom of the pot compared to the top, probably due to the different size of fish in the top and bottom. There was no difference in the results of the quality factor (QIM) evaluation between pots, but the existing sensory evaluation scales do not include the properties on which a clear difference was seen. There was a big difference between fish in the top layer and fish in the bottom layer in all cases, but ice vessels and marine fillets were more bulky on bottom fish. As a follow-up to the experiment, a new sensory evaluation scale will be designed in ongoing research on the quality of frozen and supercooled fish in different large tanks, which will address these factors, ie. let's go for ice cream and bruises in fillets.

The aim of this project was to examine the quality difference of Atlantic cod that had been iced and packed into 12 different sized food containers (tubs), 4 × 250 L, 4 × 460 L and 4 × 660 L. Each tub was split up into two groups, top-and bottom layer. Drip loss, processing yield, and sensory evaluation were used to evaluate the quality of the cod. The results showed that the greatest drip loss was in the 660 L tub, and the least in the 250 L tub. There was no difference in processing yield. Sensory evaluation showed no difference between tubs, except that the fillets from fish in the bottom layer of all containers had less gaping than fillets from the top layer of fish, most likely due to size differences of top-and bottom layer fish. No current sensory evaluation scales account for different amounts of ice marks and crushed fillets that was detected between fish in the top-and bottom layer of the tubs. The results of this project will be used in continuing research of iced and superchilled fish in different sized containers to develop a new sensory scale that will account for these qualities.

View report

Reports

Drying and storing of harvested grain - A Review of Methods / Drying and storage of grain

Published:

01/04/2018

Authors:

Ólafur Reykdal

Supported by:

Northern Periphery and Arctic Program

Contact

Ólafur Reykdal

Project Manager

olafur.reykdal@matis.is

Drying and storing of harvested grain - A Review of Methods / Drying and storage of grain

In the Arctic, grain is generally cut so moist that it is quickly damaged if it is not dried or soaked in feed. Drying grain is costly and therefore the choice of equipment and energy sources must be carefully considered. The use of geothermal energy is recommended where possible, as geothermal energy should be the cheapest energy source. Mixed solutions can work well, such as geothermal energy and diesel fuel. Agriculture needs to aim for increased sustainability and then geothermal and electricity are good options. Some molds in the field or in storage can form mycotoxins (fungal toxins) in humid and warm conditions. Mycotoxins can be harmful to human and livestock health. The risk of mycotoxin imaging is minimal in cold northern areas. However, it is necessary to monitor the quality of grain in storage and monitor the possible formation of mycotoxins. This report provides an overview of drying methods, energy sources and grain safety and is the basis for advice and research on grain drying.

In the Northern Periphery Region, grains are usually harvested at moisture contents too high for safe storage. Therefore the grain should be dried (or wet processed) as soon as possible. The drying process is expensive and the selection of equipment and fuel should be studied carefully. Where available, the use of geothermal water is recommended. In Iceland, geothermal energy has been found to be the cheapest energy source for grain drying. The use of mixed solutions, eg geothermal energy and diesel, is possible. Grain producers should aim at increased sustainability. Excellent solutions are geothermal energy and electricity. Mold in the field or in stores can produce mycotoxins under humid conditions and quite high temperature. Mycotoxins can harm the health of humans and animals. The existence of mycotoxins in grain grown under the cool conditions of northern regions is likely to be minimal but the situation should be studied and monitored. This report reviews grain drying methods, possible energy sources, safety aspects and is the basis for guidelines and case studies.

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Reports

Branding Sea Urchin for the NPA (Northern Periphery and Arctic) Regions

Published:

01/04/2018

Authors:

Holly T. Kristinsson, Guðmundur Stefánsson

Supported by:

Northern Periphery and Arctic Program

Contact

Guðmundur Stefánsson

Director of Research Groups

gudmundur.stefansson@matis.is

Branding Sea Urchin for the NPA (Northern Periphery and Arctic) Regions

This report is part of the URCHIN project funded by the NPA Fund. The report describes the brand ideology and introduces ideas to have one common brand for sea urchins from the NPA (Northern Periphery and Arctic) countries. The report takes examples of others' good experience of using brands on expensive seafood, including sea urchins. Using a brand can be a good way to market sea urchins both in local markets (eg domestic) and in international markets. A company that acquires brands that gain favor with buyers and consumers can create a unique position and demand for branded products. In order for a brand to gain popularity, research is needed on potential customers to understand their needs and why they want sea urchins and what they expect from the products and the retailer, for example in terms of service. Without a brand, it is difficult to separate the product and the company from the competitors and their products. Today, buyers and distributors of sea urchins have no way of associating increased quality with sea urchins from the NPA areas where brands are lacking. Manufacturers within the NPAs should consider branding policies when marketing sea urchins; a brand that is either based on the image of the company or the product. In order to be successful in brand building, you need to consider consumer research, IP licensing, marketing and the return on investment.

To supplement the NPA Report, Markets for Sea Urchins: A Review of Global Supply and Markets, this branding report sets out to explain the concept and elements of branding. Examples of successful branding of sea urchin and other high value seafood products are highlighted. Considerations and steps to building a brand are also discussed and can serve as a basis for brand strategy. Branding can be a way of promoting NPA sea urchin both locally and in international markets. It could be a solution to reduce the generic, anonymous sale and distribution of NPA sea urchins to Europe and other global markets. Establishing and maintaining a brand can create demand and differentiate a company and / or its products from competitors. Currently, branding of sea urchin is untapped and thus, there is significant branding potential. A brand is the over-all customer experience. It is how consumers feel or perceive your company and what you should offer in terms of services or products. Understanding who the consumers are and who would buy sea urchin and why, will be key in building and launching a sea urchin brand. To establish a brand acknowledged and known by customers, there must be sufficient research and a clear understanding of the target audience. Without a brand, it is difficult to differentiate a product or company from a competitor. Today, distributors, food service companies, restaurants, and other customers do not have a significant way to attach added value to NPA sea urchin. A unified vision and branding platform are needed to add value to the sea urchin. A key starting point for the NPA partners will be to consider a corporate and / or product branding strategy. Consumer research, a brand strategy, IP investigation, social and media marketing, and assessing return on investment (ROI) are fundamental to building a successful brand. With these building blocks and aspects in mind, the NPA can decide whether branding is a right fit and a sensible approach to creating increased value for the NPA regions, sea urchin fisheries, and small to medium enterprises (SMEs).

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