Category: News

The spring session of the Icelandic Society of Microbiology will be held on Wednesday 6 March 2013. It should also be noted that the association is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary.

The meeting will be held at Matís' premises at Vínlandsleið and will take place from 20:00 to 22:00. At the session, members of the Icelandic Society of Microbiology present their recent research with a poster and a short presentation.

The conference is open to anyone interested in microbial research in Iceland.

Ahead is the scientific conference of agriculture, which will be held at the Agricultural University of Iceland in Hvanneyri on Friday 8 March.

It is clear according to the program that there is expected to be a very interesting discussion about, among other things, the use of land and products. Guðjón Þorkelsson and Kolbrún Sveinsdóttir from Matís will give a talk in a seminar on "Sustainable production and home production of food", but you can find out more about the conference's program on the website Shrine.

For further information Guðjón Þorkelsson at Matís.

At the turn of the month, there will be changes in Matís' operations in the field of chemical analysis. The aim of the changes is to increase financial efficiency and further strengthen the professional basis of chemical analysis. Unfortunately, there has been a sharp decline in public procurement in the field of food control-related chemicals, despite increased demands following the introduction of food legislation in 2011.

It is important for Matís to ensure the utmost efficiency in operations, without compromising the professional aspects of these specialized measurements. The development of equipment for pesticide measurements, which Matís has financed with grant applications, is now imminent, but in order for it to be possible to operate such equipment, it is necessary that all expertise is utilized as much as possible. Therefore, expertise in the field of chemical analysis is gathered in one place in Reykjavík. Pesticide testing of fruits and vegetables is very important to ensure consumer safety.

Matís' high rent at Borgir has also affected this result, but there are no final decisions on other changes to the company's operations in Akureyri. Matís has emphasized having strong operations in most parts of the country, as can be seen in the number of the company's offices.

The positive results of Matís' biotechnology research in recent years on algae and the bioactivity of the substances in them laid the foundation for the company Marinox, which has now started operations.

The first products are skin products under the UNA brand. They are already on the market in Iceland, but there are also plans for the production of food supplements and additives for the food industry in the future.

Hörður Kristinsson, division manager at Matís and Rósa Jónsdóttir, division manager, were responsible for founding the company in collaboration with Matís.

"It can be said that Marinox is a formal channel for our research and a logical continuation of research for many years. In 2007, we started screening for algae substances with antioxidant activity, and those studies led us to the brown algae bubble seaweed, which we decided to work with better. We have now reached the point where we have isolated bioactive substances from the bubble seaweed that we have experimented with as a food supplement in food processing and for the production of UNA skin products. The antioxidant activity helps the skin to counteract the undesirable effects we experience in our environment, counteracts the aging of the skin and so on, "says Rósa." has of consumption.

"The idea with Marinox is to produce food supplements and ingredients for food producers, but also to develop our own products that contain these positive bioactive substances. With UNA skincare, we have therefore taken a new step in the process, but research on algae and the bioactivity of substances in them will continue with us, as this is a great resource that Icelanders can use in the future, "says Rósa Jónsdóttir, professional director.

We have just finished compiling practical information for salted fish producers. This handbook is based on research and development projects that have been carried out at Matís in collaboration with salted fish producers in recent years.

Several years ago, Dr. Jónas Bjarnason, chemical engineer, compiles a handbook for salted fish producers. That book was very popular and was considered to contain a lot of useful information. The edition of the book went dry a few years ago and salted fish producers have requested a new publication that better describes the methods that have been used in recent years.

Research and development projects for salted fish producers have long been bulky in the activities of the Fisheries Research Institute and later Matís. The results of these projects have been published in several reports and now it was time to highlight the main points in one place.

This handbook is therefore based on the research of many individuals and it is difficult to list them all, but it should be mentioned that Sigurjón Arason, an engineer at Matís and a lecturer at the University of Iceland, has been a common denominator for many of them, Dr. Kristín Anna Þórarinsdóttir, a food scientist, worked on salted fish research for years and completed a doctorate after completing her research. The preparation of this handbook and the compilation of the material was largely in the hands of Kristín Anna before Páll Gunnar Pálsson, a food scientist, took over and took care of putting the handbook into this form. But the manual will only be available in electronic form (pdf), which provides an opportunity to improve and modify at low cost.

The handbook can be accessed on Matís' website (www.matis.is/saltfiskhandbokin)

"Icelandic seaweed is an underutilized resource, at least in Iceland, but there are various things related to algae and they are relevant in our research," says Jón Trausti Kárason, an expert who is one of those associated with algae research at Matís.

Jón Trausti says that about 8 researchers at Matís work primarily on algae research, although more are related to those projects in one way or another. Among the recent products based on algae research by Matís scientists are skin products that the start-up company Marinox has launched, but they contain bioactive antioxidants that are made from seaweed and are considered particularly good for the skin. Among other products that are expected to be on the market soon, Jón Trausti mentions algae skyr and barley paste that is added with algae.

"In fact, it was a group of students who were with us last summer that started the development of the algae cloud and the product competed on behalf of Iceland in Ecotrophelia, which is a student competition in environmentally friendly innovation in food production. This went so well that the development work was continued and now the algae cloud is coming to market. Here is food on the go that is skyr and kelp flour in the base but flavored with blueberries and honey, "says Jón Trausti.

For further information Jón Trausti Kárason.

It can be said that this is a kind of umbrella for many small projects that are carried out within Matís in collaboration with companies and individuals around the country and aim to increase the value of seafood.

"The Fisheries Project Fund enabled us to give new and small projects a head start without having to seek support for each of them through applications to larger funds," says Páll Gunnar Pálsson, project manager, about the creation of the Seafood Product Development Center.

"It is often the case that we here at Matís are in contact with individuals or companies who need help to implement an idea or help to complete projects. They are often of such a nature that they are too small or have not reached the point where they match the emphasis of the competition funds due to the grant allocations. We felt that there was a great need for a new channel for these projects, as we at Matís have a lot to offer with our expertise and facilities. This can range from research or analysis to consulting on housing, technical solutions, product development or marketing. Basically, these are small projects, limited in time, but they can certainly expand in the future and then move to the level that suits the support system of the competition funds, "says Páll Gunnar.

Páll Gunnar says that the projects that the Product Development Center for Seafood is working on are very diverse. Some of them have already returned products to the market and are even the basis for the establishment of small companies.

 "Examples are the kelp skyr that will soon go into production, UNU skin products that have been placed on the market and are based on the use of bioactive substances from seaweed, and Gunna's Gunna á Rif, which received assistance with product development and quality control. This year, the projects are well into their forties and are working on improved utilization of grayling, seaweed supplements, fresh liver oil, live lobster packaging, seafood information for marketing and sales companies to name a few.

 The location of Matís' offices across the country has made it easier for entrepreneurs to seek cooperation and support. We welcome everyone and strive to strengthen the project ideas with our expertise so that the result will be increased value of seafood. "

For further information Páll Gunnar.

Matís and the company Grímur kokkur have worked together on projects to enrich seafood with biomaterials such as algae concentrate with defined antioxidant activity, hydrolysates to increase protein content and fish oils to increase omega-3 fatty acids first in a project funded by the AVS Fund (R 041-10) from 2010 to 2012.

About a year ago, a two-year Nordic project funded by Nordic Innovation began. The Nordic project also includes companies that produce food additives, the start-up company Marinox, which produces algae powder, the company Norður with protein hydrolysates and the Norwegian company BioActiveFoods, which has recently launched tasteless omega-3 powders. The project also includes the research company VTT in Finland as well as a Finnish company that produces seafood.

The company Grímur kokkur, which is nationally known for its seafood products, recently moved its operations to new premises in Eyjar, which are completely furnished to the company's needs. Chef Gísli Gíslason has also started working in the family business and will promote continued product development and innovation. In the Nordic project, the product development of enriched seafood is in full swing and two master's students at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition at the University of Iceland in collaboration with the Nutrition Laboratory will work on their final projects within the project. High hopes are pinned on the results of this project, where innovation and food companies work together in connection with universities and knowledge companies.   

News on the Island.

Photo taken at a meeting yesterday Sigurður Gíslason and Grímur Gíslason from Grímur kokki, Emilía Martinsdóttir, Kolbrún Sveinsdóttir, Rósa Jónsdóttir and Valgerður Lilja Jónsdóttir master student.

For further information Emilia Martinsdóttir at Matís.

HACCP courses will be held at Matís on the 6th and 7th of February.

This is a detailed two-day course where, among other things, the main dangers in food and the first steps in setting up the HACCP system will be covered.

The course will be held at Matís' premises, Vínlandsleið 12, 6 and 7 February from 9:00 to 16:00 both days.

At the end of 2012, a decision was made to hire a joint employee with the University Association of the South for the Matís food factory in Flúðir.

Haraldur Hallgrímsson, division manager of Innovation and Consumers, says this is a very important step in the development of the food factory and a sign of its increased value in innovation and the development of food processing in the South.

"The employee of the food factory will map and support the development of food-related studies in the area, gather information about the needs of the companies and work with them, as well as handle the projects that are directly related to the food factory. This fits in very well with the emphasis we have in the food factories and I appreciate that in the South there are very great opportunities for Matís to support progress in food processing. We at Flúðir are at the heart of vegetable production in Iceland and one of the things we are looking at is to utilize experience that we can transfer from the fishing industry to that sector, for example in terms of processing methods, cooling, distribution technology and so on.

I believe that vegetable production will grow in the South in the coming years and we also see opportunities for innovation related to both agriculture and fisheries in the area. The grain farm is an example of this and in this context one can point to the production of the farmers in Þorvaldseyri. Matís' food factory in the South has therefore started well in the first year of operation and we are taking steps to strengthen it even further, "says Haraldur.

For further information Haraldur Hallgrímsson.