Category: News

There is a vacancy for a secretary to work with a so-called "Resident Twinning Advisor (RTA)" in a foreign project.

The project is called "Institutional and laboratory capacity building to ensure food safety" and will last for 12 months. The seat will be at Matís ohf. In Reykjavík and the work will mainly consist of assisting RTA in coordinating the visits of German experts to Matís and MAST (Matvælastofnun). Writing skills and good skills in German, Icelandic and English are required. This is a full time job.

Main projects:

• Assist RTA in the administration and organization of the project as a whole
• Organize trips of RTA and German experts
• Language assistance and translations by RTA and German experts
• Organization of meetings and conferences
• Summary of data and report writing
• Translations (Icelandic / English, English / Icelandic)

Further information:

http://www.eurojobs.com

Dr. Gregory L. Yep, Senior Vice President of PepsiCo (Senior Vice President, PepsiCo R&D), will give a lecture at Matís' breakfast meeting at Hilton on June 4.

See more advertisement from Matís. Take the morning off June 4th!

This is an open meeting and admission is free!

More later than information provides Steinar B. Aðalbjörnsson, marketing director of Matís

On the 15th of May, Ásta María Einarsdóttir, master's student in food science and Sigrún Mjöll Halldórsdóttir, doctoral student in food science, will give lectures on research and development of food substances from food.

Kl. 15:00 - 15:30
Ásta María Einarsdóttir gives a talk on Fucoidan from brown algae 

Kl. 15: 30-16: 00
Sigrún Mjöll Halldórsdóttir gives a talk on the biomedical use of cod trypsin 

Ásta María will discuss the topic fucoidan which is a polysaccharide from the cell walls of brown algae that has shown diverse bioactivity in recent studies. The lecture will review the results of a new review article where the main research on the bioactivity of fucoidan is presented (Vo TS and Kim SK (2013). "Fucoidans as a natural bioactive ingredient for functional foods." Journal of Functional Foods 5 (1): 16-27). The effects of fucoidan on blood clotting factors, the effects of fucoidan on viruses, tumors and inflammation as well as the antioxidant activity of fucoidan will be discussed.

Sigrún Mjöll talks about cod trypsin and its uses in biomedicine. The lecture will discuss the cod enzymes based on a new review article (Gudmundsdottir A, Hilmarsson H and Stefansson B (2013). "Review Article - Potential Use of Atlantic Cod Trypsin in Biomedicine".  BioMed Research International, published online http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/749078). Studies show that cod trypsin has a variety of effects, for example against various viruses, skin problems and wounds. Cod trypsin is isolated from by-products in fish processing and its processing promotes the full utilization of cod. There are already various products on the market that contain cod enzymes under the name Penzyme®. 

The lectures will be held in Matís' premises at Vínlandsleið 12, on the top floor of hall 311 (Esja) from 3 pm to 4 pm, on Wednesday 15 May (fuciodan at 3 pm and cod trypsin at 3:30 pm).

Everyone welcome!

Due to an article published in Morgunblaðið, where the owner of Kost discusses food control in Iceland, Matís wants to state the following:

Food control in Iceland is in the hands of the Municipal Health Inspectorate (HES). Supervision and coordination of these inspections is in the hands of the Food Administration (www.mast.is).

Matís (www.matis.is) is a powerful knowledge company that engages in diverse research, service and innovation in the food industry. Matís has no role in food control other than that the company can, in an independent manner, examine food samples for regulators, institutions, companies and individuals. For example, Matís can investigate whether foods contain contaminants or other undesirable substances, whether foods contain the substances that are said to be present in them and whether there is any special activity (bioactivity) in food products or ingredients.

But Jón Gerald is always welcome to do business with Matís and we have already invited him to collaborate on measurements of fruit and vegetables that Kostur imports from the United States.

Jón Gerald has already corrected the confusion, but it is not out of the question to shed further light on Matís' operations and how it is not related to food control in Iceland.

For further information Steinar B. Aðalbjörnsson, marketing director of Matís

Matís, who is in charge of parental analysis of horses, has now started DNA analysis of the DMRT3 gene, the so-called pacemaker gene. A great deal of discussion arose among horsemen at the end of 2012 when news arrived that genes had been found in horses that controlled their pace.

The researchers, Lisa Andersson at Capilet Genetics AB, etc. who discovered this gene believe that this is a very remarkable encounter that can improve the breeding work of the Icelandic horse.

Horses can have one of three genotypes. One genotype is when horses are homozygous for this gene (AA) and such horses have a pace. If two homogeneous horses with a good pace are paired together, they give off homogeneous all-round horses (AA). Other genetic factors and environmental influences can, however, affect how good that offspring will be as a universal horse. The other genotype produces hybrid (CA) horses and such horses are usually four-gaited horses, but if they are mated with a homozygous or hybrid individual, they can produce universal offspring in 50% or 25% cases. The third genotype is homozygous without the pacemaker (CC) and horses with this genotype are in most cases slow-moving horses. If such horses are paired with a homozygous individual with a pace or a heterosexual individual, the offspring will either be all-round horses with tölt or pure all-round horses.

By DNA identifying horses for this gene, breeders can choose the breeding stock according to whether they are universal horses (homozygous), all-round horses with tölt (hereditary) or pure all-round horses.

More information on DNA analysis for the pacemaker gene can be obtained by sending an email to alexandram@matis.is

Ásbjörn Jónsson, a food scientist at Matís, went on one fishing trip with the most advanced line fishing vessel in the world, where he had a hand in producing some exciting canned goods from excellent fresh ingredients.

In Norway, there is the longline fishing vessel "Fröyanes", where the aim is to utilize all the raw material that comes in front of the deck. There is a small canning factory on board and the goal is to use it for canning liver, eggs, gills, skateboards and gels.

Fröyanes is one of the most advanced line fishing vessels in the world, and it is therefore a great incentive for Matís' experts to take part in product development on board this vessel.

Ásbjörn's journey was very well described Fish news on 11 April. (© Photo by Fröyanes: www.fiskifrettir.is).

The news in Sunnmörsposten on Saturday 23 March. (open No. 10).

No one doubts the contribution of Sigurjón Arason, chief engineer at Matís and professor at the University of Iceland, to increased value creation in the Icelandic fisheries sector. Sigurjón has been involved in the fishing industry in recent decades in his work at the Fisheries Research Institute (IFL) and Matís.

Sigurjón's main strength when it comes to the fishing industry is to think in solutions and how things can be done better than yesterday, both to increase value and no less to take better care of the treasure chest of loyalty and wealth that is Icelandic seafood. Sigurjón is not only highly regarded in Iceland but also abroad, and his work is renowned not least in Norway, from where he is often approached when technical challenges need to be solved, for example in fish processing.

Last Friday, Sigurjón received recognition from companies within the Icelandic Ocean Cluster. This recognition is a rose in Sigurjón's buttonhole and further confirms how incredibly large Sigurjón's contribution has been to the Icelandic fishing industry. The picture shows where Þorsteinn Már Baldvinsson, CEO of Samherji hf. gives Sigurjón the recognition (© photo: Íslenski sjávarklasinn / Eva Rún Michelsen).

We at Matís are incredibly proud of Sigurjón and hope to continue to enjoy Sigurjón's wisdom, experience and knowledge for the next few years.

Congratulations Sigurjón!

More material related to Sigurjón Arason and the recognition of the Icelandic Ocean Cluster (www.sjavarklasinn.is):

• Honored for his contribution to the fishing industry
• In leadership for years
• http://www.sjavarklasinn.is/sigurjon-arason-heidradur/
• http://www.mbl.is/vidskipti/frettir/2013/04/21/breytum_aldrei_skit_i_gull/
• http://www.mbl.is/vidskipti/frettir/2013/04/19/sigurjon_arason_heidradur/

On Saturday, a seminar was held on the Icelandic food industry, environmental issues and ecological innovation. At the same time, an exhibition of students' projects in eco-friendly food innovation was held, but students had competed for the title of the most promising and eco-friendly innovation idea in the field of food in 2013 (Ecotrophelia).

Berglind Ósk Alfreðsdóttir, Helga Franklínsdóttir and Sigríður Hulda Sigurðardóttir students at the University of Iceland and the Iceland Academy of the Arts won at Ecotrophelia Iceland this time but they produced and designed the product Hai Shen which is a sea oyster soup and is intended to be marketed in the Chinese market. The soup received excellent reviews in terms of taste, appearance, development and not least how environmentally friendly the production is.

Ecotrophelila Iceland is hosted by the Iceland Innovation Center, Matís and the Confederation of Icelandic Industries.

Finally, it should be noted that the winners of the competition will take the product to the European Ecotrophelia competition in Cologne in October.

Further coverage of the news media can be found at:

• http://www.visir.is/section/MEDIA99&fileid=VTV130F46FF-DFCE-4E41-B9F0-0A826DD9BE73
• http://www.ruv.is/frett/saebjugusupa-valin-best
• http://www.mbl.is/vidskipti/frettir/2013/04/21/saebjugusupa_kom_sa_og_sigradi/

Monitoring of pollutants in the ecosystem off the coast of Iceland has taken place since 1990. The project is carried out by Matís in collaboration with the Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Iceland and the Marine Research Institute.

The project is funded by the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources and the Environment Agency is the coordinator of the project. The aim of the project is, among other things, to monitor the concentration of pollutants in mussels at 11 locations along the country's coasts and to analyze whether there will be changes in the concentration of the substances. Due to the narrow financial framework of the monitoring project, it has not been possible to assess with statistical methods whether an increase or decrease in pollutants in the marine environment in Iceland can be detected until now. In 2011, a grant was received from the Rannís Research Fund to make a statistical analysis of the change in pollution in the Icelandic Sea. The first scientific article from this research project "Spatial and temporal trends of contaminants in mussel sampled around the Icelandic coastline" has now been published in Science and The Total Environment. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.03.042

Main results of the scientific article

Sources of pollution could be identified in several places. In 2009 and 2010, there was a sudden increase in the persistent organic pollutants DDE, transnonachlor and PCB at the Whaling Station in Hvalfjörður, but in 2009 whaling began again at the station after a long break. It is known that the concentration of persistent organic pollutants is high in whales and it is therefore likely that the whaling has caused this increase at the station. An increase in persistent substances could also be detected in Mjóafjörður in the East Fjords, and it is possible that this is due to aquaculture that was operated there for a while. At Úlfsá in Skutulsfjörður, both much higher concentrations of HCB and arsenic were measured than at the other ten locations. It is likely that the high concentration of HCB can be traced to Funi's waste incineration, but it is not known what source of arsenic could be. Waste incineration has now been shut down and if it is the cause of pollution in Skutulsfjörður, then continued monitoring should show a decrease in concentration in the coming years.

In general, the concentration of persistent organic pollutants had decreased in most monitoring sites during the period 1990-2010. The concentration of persistent organic pollutants turned out to be much lower in Iceland compared to what has been measured in mussels off the coasts of Norway, the United States and China.

The concentration of arsenic, mercury and zinc was fairly stable over the period, but greater fluctuations could be seen in the concentration of cadmium. Compared with what has been detected in mussels off the coasts of Norway, the United States and China, the concentration of mercury and lead is much lower in Iceland, but the concentration of cadmium and zinc has been detected in higher concentrations in Iceland. No sources of cadmium are known in Iceland and it is believed that its higher concentration in Iceland can be traced to the Icelandic rock.

For further information Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir director of Matís.

The number of holiday homes has increased significantly in recent years, but according to the National Registry of Iceland, there were 12,225 holiday homes in the country in 2011. With the increase in holiday homes, the number of privately owned water utilities has increased. The Municipal Health Inspectorate monitors drinking water from larger water utilities, but it is the responsibility of the owners of private water wells to monitor the quality of drinking water from smaller utilities.

The microbiological state of drinking water is one of the most important factors regarding its quality and safety. Microorganisms are hidden in many places in the environment and can easily enter the drinking water and many serious diseases can be transmitted by drinking water such as infections caused by Salmonella, Campylobacter and norovirus.

The greatest risk of infection is when drinking water has been contaminated with human or animal feces, which contains bacteria, viruses and protozoa that can cause infections in humans. There have been several group infections caused by Campylobacter in drinking water in Stöðvarfjörður in 1984, Djúpavogur in 1993 and in a hunting lodge in Borgarfjörður in 1998. There have also been several group infections caused by norovirus, but they were in Húsafell and Mývatn in 2004. more than 300 people became infected in these group infections. There have also been many cases where people were thought to have contracted noroviruses after consuming drinking water, but in those cases it was not confirmed.

The finish of the water bubble must be correct to ensure the safety of the drinking water. At boreholes and wells, it is important that the groundwater is not contaminated by surface water in the area as it can often be contaminated by unwanted microorganisms. There have also been cases where drinking water has been contaminated by septic tanks that are close to the water collection point, and therefore their location and finishing must also be carefully considered.

To ensure the safety of drinking water, it is necessary to have it tested regularly for certain microbial factors. The results of such studies indicate whether the drinking water meets certain requirements of the Drinking Water Regulation on usability and safety for consumption. 

The vast majority of measurements of the chemical content of groundwater have shown that Icelandic water is very safe in terms of chemical pollution and therefore it is not considered necessary to carry out expensive chemical measurements of drinking water from smaller water bubbles.

In recent years, there has been a great awakening among cottage owners who want to ensure that their drinking water meets the requirements for drinking water. Matís Laboratory has decades of experience in research on drinking water and you can get all information about the implementation of sampling and the necessary sampling containers from the laboratory at tel. 422-5116 and the e-mail address radgjof@matis.is.