Category: News

University Day 2013 will take place tomorrow. There will be a lot of fun at the University of Iceland, where students, teachers and Matís staff will offer the Meat Challenge 2013 at the booth of the Faculty of Food and Nutrition at Háskólatorg,

The meat challenge takes place between 13 and 14:30. The purpose of the challenge is to allow Icelanders to assess whether they find a difference between horsemeat on the one hand and beef on the other, but also to arouse interest in the projects that food scientists around the world are working on.

There are great opportunities in Icelandic food production and Icelanders are realizing that. It is possible to build up lasting value in the food and biotechnology industry, whether this is intended with exports in mind or as a supplement to what Iceland has to offer all year round, for example in travel-related food production.

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

More about food science: www.framtidarnam.is

More about University Day 2013: www.haskoladagurinn.is/

On Wednesday 13 March, Matís ohf. at Vínlandsleið 12 in Reykjavík, an open workshop in the WhiteFish project, which is funded by the European Union's 7th research program.

The project aims to develop methodologies and software that enable producers of cod and haddock products in a simple way to carry out assessments of the sustainability and environmental impact of their products. Icelandic companies and organizations play a key role in the project, but in addition Norwegian, Swedish, British and Dutch parties are involved in the project. 

There is a growing demand for green accounting in international trade, and many of the world's largest retail chains have already announced that seafood producers who keep green accounts have priority in their purchases. For small and medium-sized businesses, meeting such requirements can be extremely costly and complicated.

The project is called WhiteFish and is a so-called "research project for the benefit of associations of small and medium-sized companies". The project, funded by the Seventh Framework Program of the European Union, will run for three years and has a total budget of almost three million Euros.

"The goal of the WhiteFish project is to ensure that small and medium-sized companies in the cod and haddock value chain have access to solutions that will help them keep track of the many positive qualities of whitefish from the Northeast Atlantic. This will probably give producers an advantage in the market ", says Petter Olsen from the food research institute Nofima in Norway, who is leading the project.

The WhiteFish project is owned by five industry associations from Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The association employs more than 1,200 small and medium-sized companies that have interests in fishing and processing of cod and haddock.

Four value chains of cod and haddock products within the aforementioned countries have been selected and will be subject to a life cycle analysis (LCA). This analysis will calculate the environmental impact of the products in each link in the value chain. Subsequently, methodologies and equipment will be developed that enable manufacturers to calculate the environmental impact in a simple way, with the use of traceability. The equipment will then be verified within the project.

The WhiteFish project has now been going on for over a year and at the working meeting various preliminary results will be announced and contributions will be sought for the continued progress of the project from those who are interested.

The meeting is open to everyone and participation is free, but those who intend to participate are asked to announce their participation to jonas.r.vidarsson@matis.is

More information can be found on the project's website www.whitefishproject.org or Jónas R. Viðarsson, tel. 422-5107

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 from the agenda that a very interesting discussion is expected there, including the utilization 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 read more about the agenda of the conference 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 go 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 Marine Products 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.