Category: News

On Tuesday 15 May, Matarsmiðjan á Flúðir in collaboration with Grímsnes and Grafningshreppur will present their activities.

The presentation will take place in the community center at Minniborg at 20:00.

It will be covered how the workshop is run and how individuals and companies are using it. Project development and financing. Introduced the main things that are happening in local production and what markets are opening up in that area. General discussion.

Everyone is encouraged to attend and those interested in food development and processing are especially encouraged to attend.
Further information can be obtained by calling 858-5133 or by e-mail at vilberg@matis.is.

The results of a study by a master's student in environmental and resource science at the University of Iceland indicate that considerable faecal pollution occurs in natural pools if the flow is small and the number of guests is large.

Master's Lecture in Environmental and Resource Studies - Berglind Ósk Þ. Þórólfsdóttir
Supervisor: Viggó Þór Marteinsson, Matís.
Examiner: Eva Benediktsdóttir

When does this event start:
May 15, 2012 - 11:00 to 12:30

Event location: Box
Further location:
Living room 131

Abstract
Natural pools are defined as pools with geothermal water that are not treated by disinfection, radiation or other cleaning. With the increase in tourists in Iceland, the pressure on the country's most popular natural pools will increase, but this can affect their health and safety. Today, there are no specific rules for natural pools, as the water is not for consumption and the pools are not defined as swimming pools in operation. Little has been done to determine whether the pools are in fact as healthy as they are now. In this study, a microbiological analysis was performed in three different natural pools in Iceland; to Lýsuhóll, Hveravellir and Landmannalaugar. The total bacterial count was studied by cell count and by culture at 22 ° C, 37 ° C and 50 ° C. Screening was done before Escherichia coli, Enterococcus spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa and noroviruses. Cultured and non-cultured bacteria from the pools were genotyped by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The safety aspects of natural pools were also assessed in terms of risk and compared with the requirements for swimming pools, as well as the responsibility factor of tourism operators was assessed through a survey. The result led to the division of pools into three categories. The results of the study indicate that there is considerable faecal pollution in natural pools if the flow is low and the number of visitors is high. Then there is the number Pseudomonas spp. great in natural pools, and some species are classified as opportunistic pathogens. Norovirus was not detected in the three pools. The microbial diversity detected by 16S rRNA gene cloning and sequencing was quite diverse and varied between pools. Safety issues are lacking in the pools that fall into Category 3, but these are the pools that will become operational and will fully comply with regulations in the future.

The results of the survey on the Establishment of the Year were presented at a solemn ceremony at Hotel Nordica on Friday. Matís together with the Icelandic Road Administration, the Director of Internal Revenue, the Duty Free Store, the Planning Agency, the Director of Tax Investigations, the District Commissioner of Siglufjörður and the Icelandic Library for the Blind are exemplary institutions in 2012.

A lot is made of Matís' positive work environment. At Vínlandsleið 12 in Reykjavík, where Matís' headquarters are located, there is a great canteen where healthy and good home-cooked food is offered. Employees get to the gym because the house has exemplary facilities and, for example, there is a basketball court at the gate of the house. A so-called transport agreement is offered, where you are given the opportunity to be paid for using public transport other than the private car. In this way, a more environmentally friendly mode of transport is achieved, direct savings for employees and an incentive to exercise through cycling or walking.

From the beginning, Matís has been based on a network of offices throughout the country. There are now eight offices, including the company's headquarters in Reykjavík, and their employees are connected to all areas of the company.

With work around the country, Matís underlines the company's willingness to work with people at home in the provinces on a variety of projects that can strengthen the economy, increase innovation and increase employment. Matís' policy is that in the coming years the company will further strengthen this emphasis throughout the country.

Matís is the first Icelandic company to, in collaboration with Lýsir, assist its employees in overcoming vitamin D deficiency, which has become quite common among Icelanders. Every morning, during the period from September to May, employees are given the opportunity to receive Omega-3 fish oil pods that have added vitamin D, but in addition, traditional fish oil has been available for some time every morning.

Matís knows that a happy employee is an employee who contributes to the progress of the company, for the benefit of all Icelanders. Therefore, the company takes its role seriously in helping every employee to be a healthy soul in a healthy body.

For further information, please contact Jón Haukur Arnarson, Matís' Human Resources Manager.

Detailed results of the survey on the establishment of the year can be read here.

Matís has joined forces with the municipalities of Snæfellsnes and launched a campaign for food production in the area. The company has hired two employees to work in the company's new office in Snæfellsnes and they will start working in the next few days.

For a long time, Matís has looked at opportunities in Snæfellsnes, as there is great potential for increased value creation related to food in Breiðafjörður. The great life of Snæfellsnes is characterized by great growth and ambition, but both municipalities and employers support the initiative. Matís wants to support and work with local people on the development of food production and related industries in the area, for the benefit of all parties.

There are great opportunities in Breiðafjörður. The fishing industry is strong there, but in addition there are opportunities for utilization of other and sometimes underutilized raw materials in the area. For example, there is great potential for better utilization of slag, kelp and seaweed.
One of the main challenges for Matís employees in the area will be to research and utilize the bioactivity of the various raw materials found in the area. It is hoped that it will be possible to develop valuable actual consumer products or ingredients in food and other products. Examples of such products include kelp skies developed by Matís employees in collaboration with parties in the area. The sky, which has attracted a lot of attention, uses a marine core from Breiðafjörður. There are more opportunities for the production of general foods, target foods and dietary supplements from these active ingredients.

Matís staff is looking forward to dealing with upcoming projects with the municipalities in the area, companies and all locals. Food production in the area will increase, which will lead to increased results and increased value creation in the food industry in Snæfellsnes, by Breiðafjörður and for the whole community.  

For further information Sveinn Margeirsson, CEO of Matís, tel. 422-5000.

Today's morning paper contains a detailed interview with Kristín Ingólfsdóttir, Rector of the University of Iceland. Among other things, she enters the University of Iceland and is one of the 300 best universities in the world.

The full interview with Kristín can be seen here.

About Matís
Matís was created five years ago and during that time has established itself in Icelandic society in many ways. Matís is regarded as a leading company in food research. Matís is a driving force in business innovation and start-ups, the company brings together the research community, the university community and the business community. Matís is at the forefront of future opportunities for job creation and it is especially worth mentioning biotechnology research that has already created jobs and increased the interest of foreign parties in collaborative projects with the company. This is an example of how offense is the best defense.

In five years, Matís has built a reputation and trust in Icelandic society, which is a valuable vegan place into the future. This has been done, for example, with the purposeful participation of the company and its employees in media coverage in the community. Every day, major projects are carried out within the company's walls that affect people and companies throughout society, and it is important to strengthen people's general knowledge of what Matís stands for and how the company contributes to Icelandic society.

It is true to say that Matís bridges the gap between research and the university community on the one hand and the business community on the other.

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

A Nordic project and co-operation on algae began on 1 March. The project is called "Nordic Algae Network" and a conference will be held on 15 May. related to this. Matís organizes the conference and it is sponsored by the Blue Lagoon and the Association of Icelandic Biotechnology Companies.

More about the conference here.

For further information Hörður G. Kristinsson, director of Matís' Biotechnology and Biochemicals division, but he also holds the position of research director of the company.

On the occasion of Environment Day and Green April, Matís employees took action and collected rubbish around the company's headquarters at Vínlandsleið 12.

There was no need to pick up the rubbish, as much had accumulated after the winter.

On Wednesday 2 May, a doctoral dissertation in mechanical engineering will take place at the Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Iceland's School of Engineering and Natural Sciences. Simulation of temperature changes during transport of fresh fish products.

See news on the web University of Iceland

Opponents are Trygve Magne Eikevik, professor of mechanical engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim and dr. Jean Moureh, Refrigerating Process Engineering Research Unit, IRSTEA, France.

Dr. Ólafur Pétur Pálsson, professor and president of the Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science, will chair the ceremony, which will take place in the Celebration Hall of the University of Iceland in the Main Building and will begin at 14:00.

Abstract from the study

Temperature control in the transport of fresh food from processing to the market has a decisive effect on the spoilage processes of the product. Fresh fish products are examples of such products. The aim of this dissertation is to analyze and improve the temperature control in the cooling chains of fresh fish products from processing to the market through experiments and mathematical heat transfer models. The results of environmental and product temperature measurements in actual air and sea transport processes are used to design transport simulator experiments, where different packaging solutions are compared in terms of insulation value and the quality of the fish products they contain. The results of the simulation experiments are used to verify the results of three-dimensional heat transfer models of fresh and / or super-chilled whitefish packed in individual boxes or stackers on pallets under heat stress.

The results indicate considerable problems in temperature control in air transport, especially in the case of passenger aircraft, but less so in container transport by ship. However, improvements are still needed in some maritime transport chains. The importance of pre-packing before packing is demonstrated to maintain the correct fish temperature during transport, especially during flight. The same applies to frozen cooling mats, which are recommended to be spread as much as possible around fish fillets or pieces in packages and thus even out their cooling effect. Measurements indicate that a temperature difference of up to 10.5 ° C can be expected within an entire pallet of fresh fillets in poorly temperature-controlled air transport. It can be assumed that this temperature difference causes the shelf life of products in the corner boxes of the pallet to be up to 1-1.5 days shorter than products in the center of the pallet.

The insulation value of expanded polystyrene (EPS) is higher than that of comparable corrugated plastic (CP) boxes. In the project, a three-dimensional model of corner-rounded foam box is developed in the ANSYS FLUENT software with the aim of improving box insulation and product quality. Analysis by model is the basis for a new 5 kg foam box, which is now manufactured by the largest manufacturer of foam boxes in Iceland. Other heat transfer models that have been developed in the project include a cooling mat on top of super-chilled cod fillets in two types of EPS boxes and cooled fillets in a CP box without a cooling mat. Furthermore, models of pallets with chilled or supercooled fish are being developed to study the effect of location on pallets, size of pallets and precooling on the development of fish temperature under thermal stress.

The doctoral dissertation is based on six scientific articles and one conference paper. Five scientific articles have already been published or approved for publication in international scientific journals.

The main supervisor was Halldór Pálsson, associate professor at the Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Iceland. Other members of the doctoral committee were Sigurjón Arason, associate professor at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition at the University of Iceland and chief engineer at Matís ohf., Magnús Þór Jónsson, professor at the Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science, Sjöfn Sigurgísladóttir, former CEO of Matís ohf. and Viktor Popov, director of the Wessex Institute of Technology.

The research is related to the projects "Simulation of cooling processes", which were funded by the AVS Fisheries Research Fund (R 037-08), the Technology Development Fund (081304508) and the University of Iceland Research Fund and the European project "Chill on" (www.chill-on.com). Matís ohf. provided Björn's research facilities.

Starts: 02/05/2011 at 14:00
Location: Main building
Further location: Celebration hall

About the doctoral dissertation
Björn Margeirsson was born in 1979 in Blönduós. He completed a BS degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Iceland in 2003, worked at the General Engineering Office from 2003 to 2005 and completed an MS degree in mechanical engineering at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg in 2007. Since graduating, he has worked at Matís ohf. as a specialist, later a project manager and now a professional manager in the Processing, Value Added and Farming divisions.

Björn Margeirsson is married to Rakel Ingólfsdóttir, a medical student, and they have a daughter, Arna, who was born in 2010.

About the doctoral candidate
Björn Margeirsson was born in 1979 in Blönduós, Iceland. He finished his BSc degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Iceland in 2003, worked at Almenna Consulting Engineers from 2003 to 2005 and earned his MSc degree in mechanical engineering at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2007. From graduation he has worked at Matis ltd as a research scientist, project manager and currently as a research group leader in the Value Chain, Processing and Aquaculture division. Björn is married to Rakel Ingólfsdóttir, medical student, and their daughter, Arna, was born in 2010.

The dissertation can be accessed on Matís' website, http://www.matis.is/media/utgafa/krokur/BMPhDThesis.pdf.

Abstract
Temperature control is a critical parameter to retard quality deterioration of perishable foodstuff, such as fresh fish, during distribution from processing to consumers. This thesis is aimed at analyzing and improving the temperature management in fresh fish chill chains from processing to market by means of experiments and numerical heat transfer modeling. Ambient and product temperatures are mapped in real multi-modal distribution chains, which are both sea and air based. The results serve as a basis for simulation experiments, in which different packaging units and solutions are compared with respect to thermal insulation and product quality maintenance and more optimal ones are proposed. The experimental results are used to validate 3-D heat transfer models of fresh or superchilled whitefish, packaged in single boxes or multiple boxes assembled on a pallet, under thermal load.

Much more severe temperature control problems are measured in air transport chains, especially in passenger airplanes, compared to sea transport. However, space for improvement in sea transport chains has also been discovered. The results underline the importance of precooling whitefish products before packaging for air freight and applying well distributed cooling packs inside the packaging. The results imply that product temperature differences of up to 10.5 ° C can occur in a non-superchilled fresh fish pallet load and the storage life difference between the most and the least sensitive boxes on a full size pallet in a real air transport chain can exceed 1–1.5 days. It is demonstrated that even though a widely used expanded polystyrene (EPS) box design with sharp corners offers better thermal insulation than a corrugated plastic (CP) box, the sharp-corner design can be significantly improved. Such design improvement has been accomplished by developing a numerical heat transfer model in ANSYS FLUENT resulting in a new 5-kg EPS box currently manufactured by the largest EPS box manufacturer in Iceland. Other temperature-predictive models of products, developed and validated in this thesis, consider a cooling pack on top of superchilled cod packaged in two types of EPS boxes, compared to fresh fish packaged in a CP box without a cooling pack. Finally, models are developed for pallet loads of different sizes containing either chilled or superchilled fish. The models are used to confirm the temperature-maintaining effect of precooling and estimate the effect of pallet stack size.

The project Enriched seafood which was done in collaboration between Matís and Grímur kokk in the Westman Islands and Iceprotein in Sauðárkrókur is now coming to an end.

Several prototypes of products from Icelandic seafood were developed there, to which biomaterials from Icelandic seafood have been added, such as algae extract with defined bioactivity, hydrolysates to increase protein content and fish oil to increase omega-3 fatty acids.
The results show that it is possible to increase the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in fish balls without compromising the taste quality. The same can be said about the addition of algae powder and also succeeded in increasing the amount of protein in the fish balls. As a tool for active and successful product development with the participation of consumers, two focus groups of people were obtained to gain insight into consumers' experiences and knowledge about enrichment, enriched seafood, their consumption of seafood and food supplements and health-related lifestyles.

Consumer surveys were conducted to examine consumers' tastes for the prototypes compared to traditional products already on the market. Information on the bioactive substances and their activity influenced how people liked the products. The effect of the information depended on various factors, such as attitudes towards health and food, attitudes towards the ingredients of the product tested, as well as factors such as age and education.

An online consumer survey of more than 500 people showed that people are generally more positive about enrichment in the case of known hygiene products such as omega-3. It is also better to provide information on effectiveness even if it is a known substance, as it enhances people's positive experience of the product. Enrichment with kelp also seems to be a viable option as information on the use value of kelp in the product was given and the same can be said regarding fish protein. These products generally appeal more to people who focus on food hygiene, which is a fairly large group according to these findings. In general, it can be concluded from these results that the enrichment of seafood is a realistic possibility, but labeling and information to consumers must be considered.

In this project, experience was created at Matís, which will be further developed and used by other companies in product development and marketing of target foods, where consumers' wishes will be taken into account. Consumer surveys showed that it is very important how the marketing of such products will take place in order to reach selected consumer groups who are interested in such a targeted diet. The step has been a step forward in which bioactive substances have been added to ready-made consumer products. A very important result of this project is that in 2011 a grant was obtained from the Nordic Innovation Fund, NICe, to continue larger projects in this field and thus contribute to the increased value of seafood and marine life.

For further information Emilia Martinsdóttir at Matís.

Sigurjón Arason, chief engineer at Matís, was honored by the Icelandic Society of Engineers on the association's 100th anniversary.

On the first day of summer, 19 April, the Icelandic Society of Engineers turned 100 years old.

On that day, the company awarded the VFÍ Century Award in three categories and Sigurjón Arason, chief engineer at Matís and previously at the Fisheries Research Institute, received recognition in the category "They plowed the field".

Sigurjón was honored for his initiative and exceptional perseverance in implementing a number of innovations that have been crucial for the quality and profitable utilization of raw materials from marine catches and for the dissemination of knowledge in Iceland and abroad.