Category: News

In recent months, work has been carried out on the refurbishment of facilities and the acquisition and installation of equipment in Matarsmiðjan's premises in Flúðir. An operating license is also being applied for from the Health Inspectorate of the South.

Operations will then begin in March. The idea with Matvælasmiðjan is to help people with ideas for food production with professional help and facilities. It also learns about the basics of food safety, including setting up internal controls and applying for production licenses for its products to licensors. In this way, it is possible to test ideas for production and market a product without spending a lot of money. The workshop is intended for the processing and production of all kinds of food as well as training for small food producers. There will be facilities and equipment:

• for drying food
• for the production of nasal
• for canning and canning (jam making, food pickling, etc.)
• wet facilities for handling raw materials (meat, vegetables, etc.)
• small experimental kitchen (Boiled products)
• cooler and freezer
• for packing
• for education and seminars

Contact will be made with those who have already shown interest in working on their ideas at Matarsmiðjan in Flúðir to discuss and plan the projects. Everyone who is interested in introducing and taking advantage of the advice and facilities at Flúðir is encouraged to contact Matarsmiðjan Vilberg Tryggvason's employee at 8585133 or send him an e-mail to vilberg.tryggvason@matis.is

Matarsmiðjan á Flúðir is in collaboration with the municipalities in the uplands of Árnessýsla, Matís ohf., Háskólafélag Suðurlands and Atvinnuþróunarfélag Suðurlands.

For further information Guðjón Þorkelsson at Matís.

Future days were incredibly successful and the number of people who attended this year is the largest in the history of this festival.

Well over 2000 are believed to have attended the show at Háskólabíó and there was a lot of traffic around Matís booth as it is extremely well located. A large number of students were interested in knowing more about Matís, and as a result, applications for summer jobs and future jobs have flowed directly into Matís' human resources manager.

Attached are some photos from the Future Days 2011.

Future days 2011 will be held next. Wednesday, February 9 in the premises of Háskólabíós.

As before, high participation among students can be expected this year. Framadagar is therefore an ideal platform for companies to reach the future workforce of the nation by introducing themselves and their activities and thus gain a certain advantage over competitors in the race for the most qualified staff.

As usual, Matís will have a large booth and will present his activities throughout the day. Framadaga brochure 2011 can be found on the Framadaga website, www.framadagar.is, but there are some fun commercials from Matís.

Further information can be found at www.framadagar.is and with Jón Haukur Arnarson, jon.h.arnarson@matis.is or Steinar B. Aðalbjörnsson, steinar.b.adalbjornsson@matis.is.

The idea for the episodes came from Gunnþórunn Einarsdóttir at Matís and Brynhildur Pálsdóttir.

The episodes "Fagur fiskur" are nominated for an award at Eddun. Matís produced the episodes together with Sagafilm. The idea for the episodes ignited Gunnþórunn Einarsdóttir food scientist at Matís and Brynhildur Pálsdóttir, product designer. They got Sagafilm, Sveinn Kjartansson chef, Áslaug Snorradóttir photographer, Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdóttir director in a team to make the idea a reality.

The production of the episodes was supported by AVS research fund in the fisheries sector.

You can access recipes, information and watch the episodes on the website www.fagurfiskur.is, you can also check out the show's Facebook page.

More about Edduna and 2011 nominations here.

Matís publishes a booklet on DNA research on marine animals.

Matís has developed over 30 methods for genetic analysis of animals. There is a lot of development work behind each analytical method, where an attempt is made to combine as many genetic markers as possible into one disappearance (multiplex). This saves both time and costs when multiple samples are analyzed. In some cases, there is no genetic marker for the species. In those cases, it is necessary to start developing new genetic markers. At Matís, new genetic markers have been developed for many species of marine animals (cod, herring, lobster, mussels and salmon) and in other species, known genetic markers have been changed to make the work more efficient. Several of these methods have been described in peer-reviewed scientific articles.

In population analysis studies, variability in the genotypes of animals from different areas is examined, cf. the example of the cod above. The international community (eg the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea; ICES) calls for information on strains in genetic diversity. Successful decisions have already been made based on genetic data, as the example of the redfish below shows (see the section Genetics proves its value).

In fisheries management, it is very important to know whether there are variable stocks or stock units of a certain type when allocating fishing licenses. In this area, genetic analysis can be a key tool. It is very important for Icelanders to be able to define the stocks that belong to Iceland and can therefore be classified as a resource for Icelanders. If Iceland joins the European Union, this is even more important than ever. It should therefore be a priority in Icelandic marine research to define the genetic resource that belongs to the country. It is also in accordance with international conventions that Iceland has signed to guarantee the conservation of its genetic resources.

The brochure can be found here.

Anna Kristín Daníelsdóttir, Director of Safety, Environment and Genetics, provides further information. Additional information can also be found here.

From the beginning, Matís has been based on a network of offices throughout the country. There are now 9 offices, including the company's headquarters in Reykjavík, and their employees are connected to all areas of the company. The newest establishment is in Flúðir, but it was established at the end of 2010.

The emphases of the establishments are diverse, reflecting Matís' broad field of work and professional knowledge within the company. In the same way, the establishments also take into account the local community in each place and the needs there. For example, Matís' offices in Ísafjörður and the Westman Islands are in two of the country's larger fisheries locations, at Matís in Höfn in Hornafjörður a lot of work has been done with lobster producers and in Sauðárkrókur biotechnology is the key to collaboration with locals in food processing. The measurement service in Neskaupstaður is important for both production companies and official regulators in the health sector in East Iceland, and Matís in Akureyri has built up extensive research knowledge in aquaculture. Finally, there is the mention of the three food factories that Matís has built up in recent years in Höfn in Hornafjörður, Egilsstaðir and now in Flúðir. It opens up the possibilities for many enthusiastic food producers in the region and helps them to make their dreams of products and business innovation a reality.

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.

Further information on Matís' offices can be found here.

Matvælastofnun will hold an educational meeting on internal control of food companies on Tuesday 25 January at 15-16. The meeting will discuss good practice and the requirements for internal control of food companies.

The new food legislation places increased emphasis on the responsibility of food producers for their own production. Food companies must ensure that food is produced in conditions that meet the requirements of good practice and that food is safe to consume. With internal control, food companies demonstrate responsibility and internal control is one of the prerequisites for an operating license. Supervisors such as the municipal health inspectorate and the Food Administration must examine the effectiveness of internal inspections in inspection visits. The effectiveness of internal control is one of the factors that is taken into account when determining the frequency of control visits. Food companies can therefore influence control costs through active internal control that covers all of the company's operations.

The educational meeting will review the requirements and good practices that must be followed in the production of food. Examples of good practice and effective internal control will be presented, along with the introduction of a new brochure on internal control.

It is worth mentioning that Matís offers courses for companies for internal control. Information about Matís courses can be found here but also provides Margeir Gissurarson Further information.

Lecturers:

• Dóra S. Gunnarsdóttir, food scientist at the Food Administration
• Guðjón Gunnarsson, food scientist at the Food Administration
• Sigrún Guðmundsdóttir, health representative at the Health Inspectorate of the South

It will be possible to follow the educational meeting live on the MAST website under Publication - Educational meetings. A recording will also be published there after the educational meeting.

The educational meeting will be held in the district office of the Food Administration in Reykjavík at Stórhöfði 23. The entrance to the MAST building is on the north side (Grafarvogsmegin).
Everyone welcome!

In order to ensure better quality and more valuable products, care must be taken with procedures and handling of raw materials and problems in the handling, processing and transport of fish products. Cooling from the time the fish is pulled from the sea and at all stages of the value chain is a key factor in maintaining maximum quality for as long as possible.

ChillFish is Matís' new information provider with practical guidelines and discussion on cooling and handling of fish at all levels of the value chain from target to market. The guidelines are presented in a user-friendly way and will hopefully be useful to fishermen, manufacturers and carriers and will also be useful in training and seminars in this field.

The guidelines are based on research carried out within the Chill on refrigeration projects (www.chill-on.com/), Simulating cooling processes (www.matis.is/verkefni//nr/2801) and Kælibótar which were funded by AVS, Tækniþróunarsjóður and Rannsóknasjóður Háskóli Íslands and also by regulations from Matvælastofnun. Four doctoral students and three master's students worked on the projects and Matís' staff is the first or second author in 10 scientific disciplines and more are expected. The results of many experiments have also been published as Matís reports and are very easy to access www.kaeligatt.is.

Among other things, Matís' research has shown that sea transport is a realistic possibility for Icelandic fresh fish producers. However, this is based on the fact that the temperature control in containers is as good as it gets. Computerized thermodynamics and hydrology have been used to develop new refurbished foam boxes that can extend both the freshness period and the shelf life of fresh products in air transport chains by two days. Significant developments have taken place in rapid microbiological analysis and it is now possible to diagnose various pathogens and pathogenic microorganisms in a much shorter time than was previously possible, which should be useful in the food industry. This development provides the possibility of using forecasting models developed in the Chill-on project in collaboration with the Wessex Institute of Technology (WIT, UK). Shelf life of fresh cod products can be predicted in the temperature range from -1 ° C to + 11 ° C based on the number of pests and known temperature history. Models were also developed that predict the growth of major pathogenic bacteria under similar conditions.

For further information Emílía Martinsdóttir.

"Our collaboration has mainly been based on the fact that Matís has identified for us a relationship in the spawning stock of sandeel that we have here," says Jóhannes Hermannsson, who runs a company in southern China that specializes in sandeel farming.

"The results of this will become clear in the next two years," says Jóhannes.

The company has operated in its current form for three years and is owned by parties in Hong Kong and an Icelander who lives there. The fire is located in China, just north of Hong Kong. "We grow the fish in closed indoor circuits and can produce about 300 tons of sandeel a year. The environmental conditions here are quite far from the natural conditions of the sandeel because it thrives well in temperatures from 12 up to 17 degrees. Sea temperatures here in southern China may drop to 16 degrees when it is coldest in winter and well over 30 degrees in summer. We are therefore raising the fish in an environment that is far from its natural environment. Farming of sand eels in tanks on land is known, for example in Spain, France, South America and elsewhere, but eel is known as a quality raw material in better fish dishes, "says Jóhannes, whose company sells almost all the fish from the fire live to restaurants, hotels. and shops. "Here is the same sign between a fish being alive and looking good and being fresh."

Matís has specialized in technology to analyze relatedness in aquaculture and Jóhannes' company uses this knowledge. "Possibly we could have acquired this knowledge elsewhere, but in a way we have easier access to services at Matís as that company is neither very large nor complex. We can say that in this case both enjoy being Icelanders. We know where we are going and what we can get. It is most important for us to have access to knowledge that is significant within Matís' walls, "says Jóhannes Hermannsson, who expects that in the future samples will be sent regularly from his company in southern China for analysis by Matís.

For further information Ragnar Jóhannsson at Matís.

The first conference on environmental pollution in Iceland will be held in Reykjavík on Friday 25 February 2011.

The aim of the conference is to present the work and results of the main parties working to assess pollution in Iceland. Emphasis will be placed on all monitoring and research participants contributing to the conference.

The conference is divided into two parts. Before noon, emphasis will be placed on monitoring environmental pollution in Icelandic nature. After the lunch, there will be presentations of research on pollution in the air, uterus, soil, humans and animals. The arrangement of the conference is that in each section, several presentations from submitted abstracts will be selected, with an emphasis on monitoring on the one hand and research on the other. These presentations provide an overview of the state of affairs in Iceland today. There will also be a strong emphasis on posters where researchers are given the opportunity to present their projects. Conference guests will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the various monitoring and research projects on these posters and discuss these projects in person with researchers during coffee breaks and poster presentations.

The program can be found here.

The deadline for submitting abstracts was 1 December 2010 environ@matis.is

Registration without promotion is sent to the same email address.

The Planning Committee answers questions
Gunnar Steinn Jónsson Environment Agency, gunnar@ust.is
Hrönn Ólína Jörundsdóttir Matís, hronn.o.jorundsdottir@matis.is
Taru Lehtinen HÍ, tmk2@hi.is

Scientific Committee: Hrund Ólöf Andradóttir UI, Taru Lehtinen UI, Kristín Ólafsdóttir UI, Gunnar Steinn Jónsson UST, Hermann Sveinbjörnsson Ministry of the Environment, Anna Kristín Daníelsdóttir Matís, Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir Matís, Hrönn Jörundsdóttir Matís.