Category: News

As the new year draws to a close, it is not out of the question to look at the year that is now coming to an end. Sveinn Margeirsson reviews the year 2012 in Matís' operations, but growth characterized the company's operations during the year.

The growth is reflected in many areas, both as the largest year in the company's history in terms of turnover and not least in Matís' wider project participation both abroad and no less domestically. The number of employees has also increased and the knowledge base has grown. All of this is happening in times of economic hardship and says a lot about the strength of the company and its employees.

Matís is in many ways in line with the progress of food processing in Iceland and the importance of the value chain has become increasingly clear. The value creation is in this way in many links of the chain; it will be in development, production and no less marketing. Matís' strength lies precisely in its involvement in knowledge of the various parts of the value chain, we support food production in its development while at the same time fulfilling our role in terms of food safety and control. Consumers need to have confidence and trust in the products.

Matís' foreign income now amounts to close to 25% of annual turnover and has never been higher. This reflects our success in foreign projects, Matís' position and strength in an international research environment. We have also increased our participation in national projects and Matís' dense network nationwide. In 2012, the company opened two new offices, in the south of the Westfjords and in Snæfellsnes. They are guided by value creation in these areas with special emphasis on Breiðafjörður, where there are great resources in food and biotechnology. In Breiðafjörður, there is a large amount of algae that our biotechnology research has shown can be processed into valuable products, but in parallel with the innovation, Matís can help to combine these new emphases with the existing food production in the area. The key is to work according to the guideline that ensures the greatest value creation.

Food production in Iceland takes place to a large extent outside the capital area and we have good experience of operating establishments around the country to follow the emphases and opportunities in each area, in collaboration with locals. Despite the fact that the development of the establishments entails significant costs, we nevertheless consider this network to be of great value. We have placed great emphasis on increased connections with educational institutions, and it can be said that Matís has made good progress in the bridge-building that needs to take place between educational institutions, research companies and the business community. Experience shows how much that bridge can contribute to increased value creation.

Consumers need to be able to rely on the safety of food production. They also need to be able to trust that the limited funds allocated to research and development activities will be used for development and growth for Icelandic society. I believe that Matís' employees have succeeded well - as the company's growth in 2012 confirms.

A very popular Christmas market with food and crafts has been held at Höfn in Hornafjörður in December in recent months.

The parties involved in the market are Matís, the Hornafjörður Cultural Center and the State of Vatnajökull. The market offers a lot of food produced in the district, such as dried mutton from the wilderness, hot-smoked mackerel, smoked pork products from Miðskersbúið, vegetable products from Hólabrekka, hot-smoked eel, seafood from Skinney Þinganes, ice from Árbær, birch salt. The market will be open on Saturdays 15 and 22 December from 13:00 -16: 00.

The Christmas market is an outdoor market and is held in stalls that were built this summer. Great care was taken in the construction of the stalls as it was planned that they would look like shark shells, which means that the market has a very Icelandic and old-fashioned look. Various events are offered on the market, such as choir singing, etc. to create a real Hornfirski Christmas mood. There has been a good turnout in the market and food producers who sell food on the market are doing well, as people have been coming to the market from the east to pick up delicious food produced in the region for the festive meal.

For further information Vigfús Þórarinn Ásbjörnsson at Matís.

"Icelandic marine algae are an underutilized resource, at least here in Iceland, but there are many things going on related to algae and they are relevant in many areas in our research," says expert Jón Trausti Kárason, who is one of those related to algae research at Matís.

Jón Trausti says that about eight 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 expected to be on the market in the near future, Jón Trausti mentions, among other things, seaweed milk and barley pasta that is enhanced with algae. "Actually, it was a group of students who were with us last summer that started the development of the algae syrup, and the product competed on behalf of Iceland in Ecotrophelia, which is a student competition with ecological innovation in food production. This went so well that the development work continued and now the algae bloom is coming. Here is a food product that is based on curd and kelp flour but flavored with blueberries and honey," says Jón Trausti.

Jón Trausti, along with others at Matís, is a representative of the young generation. He came to Matís before he finished his studies, then in projects related to his studies. As a result, opportunities were created where the gap between industry and the scientific community was bridged, and Jón Trausti, together with other Matís employees, is an important link in that value chain. For the young generation, it is an exciting task to be in the middle of a whirlwind of food production in Iceland, but with a large interface with the education system. The ideal of this young generation is lofty and exciting. It is, among other things, strengthening Iceland's position as a food-producing nation, but changes in the environment have created conditions that mean that we Icelanders see opportunities for great progress in the production of raw materials, which may not have been considered for decades.

For further information Jón Trausti Kárason at Matís.

This was stated in a speech by Haukur Már Gestsson, an economist who works within the Sjávarklasan, at the Fisheries Conference in Reykjavík recently, and also recently Sigjón Arason, Matís' chief engineer, made a good report on Stöðvar 2's news.

The utilization of cod in the North Atlantic countries is noticeably best in Iceland or 76%, while it is 50% in the Faroe Islands, 45% in Canada and 43% in Greenland. "I believe that the main reason for better utilization here is greater utilization of by-products, and this is undoubtedly thanks to both the regulations and the good collaboration between companies and Matís, but good fillet utilization certainly plays a part. The liver is a good example of a product that is well used in this country. Most of it goes into fish oil and is boiled down. Eggs are also new.

Utilization to increase
The same can be said about heads and bones. Almost all cod heads that arrive here go to drying, as well as a growing portion of cod heads that end up on freezer trawlers. These products are sold to Nigeria. From the attached graph, it can be assumed that utilization has worsened in Iceland since 2009. Haukur says that it doesn't have to be that way. "Care must be taken when comparing the utilization between individual years. For example, a product produced in 2009 sometimes does not appear in the export figures for the following year. It therefore makes more sense to look at the graph over a longer period of time, and according to that the utilization is increasing. On the other hand, it can be read from the diagram that utilization in the other countries has been on the decline. I have no explanation for that."

Norwegians strong
According to Hauks, he did not have good enough data to include Norway in this comparison. "Norwegians have looked at this themselves and according to that their utilization is about 41%, but since they used a different method than I used, you should be careful in comparing these numbers. Norwegians are more powerful than most other nations in exploring the opportunities in by-products, for example with the export of roe and roe to Asia. A special organization was founded there, RUBIN, which received a lot of funding to research by-products, but this organization has actually just closed down today."

Guts and heads are of little use
"I believe that Icelanders should be able to take a step further to make better use of, for example, slag, heads and bones and maximize its value. The head is between 20 and 301 TP3T of each fish, and according to Matís' survey, only a small part of the heads is used if the cod is excluded," Haukur Már Gestsson concludes.

_{The above article first appeared in Viðskiptablaðið on November 29, 2012. The author of the column is Vilmundur Hansen, vilmundur (at) fiskifrettir.is.}

Here You can find Stöðvar 2's news from 19 October. For further information Sigurjón Arason, Matís' chief engineer.

The location of Matís' offices across the country has made it easier for entrepreneurs to seek cooperation and support.

Páll Gunnar Pálsson, a food scientist at Matís, says that one of the company's most common tasks is participation in product development and organization of work processes at food companies. "Matís' main guiding principle is to increase the quality, value, health and safety of production and thus strengthen the competitiveness of the Icelandic economy on an international level and promote better public health."

Ten establishments

"Matís' headquarters are in Reykjavík, and in addition there are nine offices throughout the country. The activities are diverse, but with a special emphasis on collaboration with companies and individuals. Matís has a staff of about one hundred and within that group are many of the country's leading experts in food and biotechnology as well as a number of master's and doctoral students in research-related studies. "

Páll Gunnar says that many of the projects are small and limited and therefore do not have the possibility of grants from the competition funds, in addition to which the application deadline and processing time for funds can be so long that the projects burn out while waiting ..

Necessary to act quickly

"The acquisition of seafood depends on the seasons and if it is not possible to start a project at a certain time, the waiting time can be long. It is therefore important to be able to react quickly and start working immediately on important project ideas that arise.

In recent years, Mátís has placed great emphasis on collaboration with individuals and companies who are looking for ways to increase value or are preparing to process new products.

For this reason, we launched the project Product Development Center for Marine Products with the support of the Fisheries Project Fund. Within this, work is being done on various product development projects in the field of fisheries throughout the country. The project is intended to meet the need of the Icelandic fishing industry for product development and further processing. In light of the experience gained from the operation, the importance of being able to respond to companies 'and individuals' requests for assistance with product development has increased, "says Páll Gunnar.

We welcome everyone

Páll Gunnar says that projects that find their way into Matís 'board have more often than not come from companies and individuals in the countryside, and the strengthening of Matís' operations in the countryside has had a great impact on this.

"We welcome everyone who has a good idea for product development or needs help to get their idea in the right shape, and we can get started much earlier than if we had to try to finance through the traditional fund system.

In the two years that the project has been in operation, Matís has been involved in more than 50 projects and some of them have already returned products and new activities. These include products based on kelp, such as kelp and ointments. We are currently working on the development of dietary supplements from kelp, barley pasta, smoking saithe, oil made from lobster, health snacks from seafood, improved utilization of grayling, guidelines for people who want to make their own salted fish, to name a few, "says Páll Gunnar.

For further information Páll Gunnar Pálsson.

Videos from several Matís offices have now been produced. The videos are about 4 minutes long each and there is a lot to see and hear.

Ólafur Rögnvaldsson at Axfilms ehf. had a problem with the production of these videos.

The videos, both in Icelandic and English, can be found here.

Matís has now published a book on how to make good salted fish. Páll Gunnar Pálsson at Matís has had problems with the publication.

The publication is primarily intended for individuals who are interested in making healthy and good salted fish from excellent ingredients. Later, Matís will publish a booklet that sheds light on the processing of salted fish in a larger context, for production and sale.

The publication can be seen here.

For further information Páll Gunnar Pálsson at Matís.

On Monday 26 November, a doctoral defense will take place at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Iceland. Then protect J. Sophie RE Jensen pharmacist's doctoral dissertation: "Bioactive natural ingredients from Icelandic mushroom moss - protozoan and cancer cell inhibitory activity" (English: "Bioactive compounds from Icelandic liverworts - anti-protozoal and cytotoxic activity").

On Monday 26 November, a doctoral defense will take place at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Iceland. Then protect J. Sophie RE Jensen pharmacist's doctoral dissertation: „Bioactive natural ingredients from Icelandic mushroom moss - protozoan and cancer cell inhibitory activity " (English: "Bioactive compounds from Icelandic liverworts - anti-protozoal and cytotoxic activity").

Opponents are Dr. Lars Bohlin, professor at Uppsala University in Sweden and Dr. Hörður G. Kristinsson, research director and head of Matís' biotechnology and biochemistry department.

The supervisor of the project was Dr. Elín Soffía Ólafsdóttir, professor and co-supervisor Dr. Sesselja Ómarsdóttir, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Iceland.

Dr. Már Másson, President of the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Iceland, will preside over the ceremony, which will take place in the celebration hall, Aðalbygginga, starting at 2 p.m.

Mushrooms are a group of primitive mosses that produce unusual bioactive compounds. These plants have been used in oriental folk medicine for centuries, mainly as a diuretic, for cancer, bacterial and fungal infections.

The aim of the study was to isolate and determine the molecular structure of compounds from Icelandic fungal mosses Marchantia polymorpha and Chiloscyphus pallescens, focusing on bioactivity against cancer cells and protozoa. Bioactivity-induced isolation of carcinogenic agents led to the bis-bibenzyl compound marchantin A. It inhibited cell proliferation in several types of breast cells, as well as showing a synergistic, cytotoxic effect on cancer cells when administered with the Aurora-A kinase inhibitor MLN823 ML1. The inhibitory effect of marchantin A on several pathogenic protozoa was also demonstrated, including Plasmodium falciparum causing malaria. In addition, marchantin A showed an inhibition of the enzyme PfFAbZ in the liver form of the protozoan which may indicate disease-preventive uses.

Taken together, the results of the project have increased knowledge of the chemistry of these two species of fungal mosses and demonstrated unprecedented bioactivity of pathogenic cells in culture, which could have pharmacological value.

Sophie worked for a few months on her project for partners in Copenhagen. Functional tests on protozoa were carried out by partners, Dr. Morten A. Nielsen at the University of Copenhagen and Dr. Deniz Tasdemir at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of London. In addition, the project was partly carried out at the Laboratory of Oncology at the University of Iceland Faculty of Medicine with Dr. Helga M. Ögmundsdóttir who also sat on Sophie's doctoral committee. In addition to her and her supervisors, the committee included Dr. Jerzy W. Jaroszewski Professor at the University of Copenhagen (he died on October 18, 2011) and Dr. Már Másson, Professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Iceland.

English abstract
Liverworts are a group of primitive mosses that produce unique compounds of potential interest for pharmacological research. They have been applied in oriental folk medicine as diuretics, anti-tumor, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agents. The general aim of the project was to isolate and characterize bioactive compounds from the Icelandic liverworts Marchantia polymorpha and Chiloscyphus pallescens, with focus on cytotoxic and anti-protozoal bioactivity. Bio-guided isolation led to the bis-bibenzyl compound marchantin A, which proved cytotoxic to several types of breast cancer cells. Further studies on cancer cells showed that merchant A and the Aurora-A kinase inhibitor MLN8237 act synergistically. Furthermore, marchantin A was shown to be parasitocidal against several types of pathogenic protozoa, including the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, as well as showing malaria prophylactic potential by inhibiting the PfFAbZ enzyme of the liver stage of the infection.

The results have contributed significantly to the knowledge of distribution of liverworts compounds in the two Icelandic liverwort species and furthermore demonstrated previously unknown biological effects of therapeutic interest.

About Sophie
J. Sophie RE Jensen (b. 1979) graduated with a master's degree in pharmacology from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Iceland in 2006 and took 1 semester in an exchange program at the University of Copenhagen in 2004. In the years 2006-7 Sophie took 3 months of internship in a laboratory at Novartis in Boston 3 months in Asia and Oceania and worked part time for Lyfja and Íshestur. Sophie began her doctoral studies in 2008.

Sophie's parents are Elsa Jensen and Peter Ydregård. Sophie's husband is Sigurður Arnar Friðriksson and their daughter is Sól Lilja.

The association Matur-saga-menning will have a presentation of the national Westfjords food traditions in Víkinn, the maritime museum in Reykjavík, on Thursday 22 November from 20.00-22.00.

The West Fjords Halldór Hermannsson skipper of Ísafjörður gives a talk about Westfjords skate. Halldór has been active in promoting the skating tradition throughout history. Kolbrún Ösp Guðrúnardóttir from Stykkishólmur deals with Westfjords wheat cakes, which she got in the countryside from her grandmother in Ingjaldssandur and they have long been an essential part of Christmas. Kolbrún has sold in Jólaþorpin in Hafnarfjörður with good reception. Then will Guðrún Pálsdóttir Flateyri delivers lectures Westfjords dried fish. She has many years of experience in dried fish processing and together with her family runs EG Hard Fish Processing in Flateyri.

No entrance fee and everyone is welcome as long as accommodation allows. It will be hot in the jug.

The Food-History-Culture Association
facebook: food history culture

Seminar on the market differentiation of catfish from the North Atlantic. The results of research on the market differentiation of catfish from the North Atlantic will be presented at a seminar at Matís on 4 December.

The results come from the WhiteFishMaLL project, which is funded by the Nordic Innovation Center and is being worked on by parties from Norway, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Canada. The aim of the project is to ensure further differentiation of catfish from the North Atlantic from cheaper whitefish species, which are now flowing into our main market areas, in particular the UK market.

Work on the project began at the beginning of the year and market research has been conducted in the UK among fish consumers, in addition to which interviews and meetings have been held with parties working in this sector in processing, sales and marketing. The attitudes of focus groups made up of typical fish consumers in the UK have been explored towards North Atlantic catfish products and how their experience in shopping, cooking and consumption can be improved.

Subsequently, an opinion poll was conducted among 1,500 consumers in the UK, where they were asked about a number of aspects related to fish and how accessibility, experience and increased education can be improved to better meet consumer needs. The following focus areas have developed over time and form the basis for market differentiation:

• Transparency of information and traceability in relation to the value chain of fish.
• Personalized approach to the marketing of stores in connection with products.
• Product sustainability information based on factual and reliable data.
• Emphasis on comfort and wholesome products.
• A methodological solution for how retailers can meet the needs of consumers.

At the seminar, the intention is to evaluate the emphasis elements that have been formed in the project of highlighting the uniqueness of products, and the intention is to develop this further over the next two years. It is therefore important that representatives from the business community take an active part in the seminar and review the results with those involved in the project.

The seminar will be held in English and is open to everyone, but it is necessary to register on the project's website (www.whitefishmall.com), note limited seating available. The seminar will take place at Matís, Vínlandsleið on Tuesday 4 December.

For further information, contact Jónas R. Viðarsson at Matís, jonast.r.vidarsson@matis.is, 858-5107.