Category: News

Shelf life of cod necks in air and sea transport. In March 2010, a shelf life test was carried out, which aimed, among other things, to compare the shelf life of pre-cooled, fresh cod necks in air and sea transport from Iceland to mainland Europe.

The experiment was carried out under the auspices of the European project Chill on (http://www.chill-on.com) and the Icelandic research project Hermun kæliferla, which is supported by the AVS Fisheries Research Fund, the Rannís Technology Development Fund and the University of Iceland Research Fund, see more here: http://www.matis.is/verkefni/nr/2801.  

The available results of the temperature mapping of the cooling chain were taken into account when heating processes for air and sea transport were designed in the preparation of the experiment. The temperature-controlled cold rooms of Matís and the University of Iceland came in handy as so often before in such experiments. After moving from a producer in northern Iceland to Matís in Reykjavík, the flying fish experienced two relatively mild temperature fluctuations (about 9 ° C for 9 hours and about 13 ° C for 4 hours a few hours later) and we took a few days of storage at 1 °. C. The container fish, on the other hand, was stored at -1 ° C, which is a realistic possibility for container transport by ship, from arrival at Matís in Reykjavík. It is worth noting that the heat load in air transport can be significantly higher than the aforementioned air temperature curve states according to Art. Matís measurements. 

Temperature measurements, sensory evaluation, chemical and microbial measurements were used to compare the two modes of transport. 

Simulation of air and sea transport (temperature fluctuations and constant temperature) revealed that for well-cooled cod necks can be expected four days longer freshness period and about five days longer shelf life in well-controlled sea transport based on a typical air travel history. As sea transport from Iceland often takes about four to five days longer than air transport (depending on the day of the week and the location of the processing), this shows 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. Comparison of temperature control in different container types is precisely one of the subjects of the project Simulation of cooling processes. 

The report can be accessed here: http://www.matis.is/media/matis/utgafa/29-10-Effect-of-improved-design-of-wholesale.pdf and provided by Björn Margeirsson (bjornm@matis.is) Further information. 

In recent months, preparations have been made for the establishment of a food factory in the uplands of Árnessýsla, which will be a center for product development and processing of vegetables and to strengthen vocational and university education in the area through teaching and research.

In Flúðir, Matís will rent premises at Iðjuslóð 2 for the food factory and the operation is secured with the cooperation of Atvinnuþróunarfélag Suðurlands, Háskólafélag Suðurlands, Hrunamannahreppur, Bláskógarbyggð, Skeiða- and Gnúpverjahreppur, Grímsnes- og Grafningshreppur, Mat horticulture, Matís horticulture, An agreement on this subject was recently signed.

The main goal of the project is to build a development center for small-scale food production, ie to establish small-scale production, product development and research of horticultural products in the area and thus create new and interesting opportunities in Flúðir and the surrounding area, but also to create an important platform for entrepreneurs and small producers complete their products for marketing.

Suðurlands Growth Agreement provided grants for the preparation and development of the food factory.

A special project for three is about the operation and operation of the food factory in Flúðir. The partners will work together to ensure the progress of the project so that the facilities can be used for development work, teaching, courses and experimental activities.

In the near future, an employee will be hired for the workshop. Matís invests heavily in its operations outside the capital area and in collaboration with companies and stakeholders throughout the country, but the company operates offices in six locations outside Reykjavík.

Further information is provided by Guðjón Þorkelsson and Hörður G. Kristinsson at Matís. The accompanying photos show when the agreements were signed.

Pollution of heavy metals and other toxins in the sea around the country is generally well below international standards, as stated in Matís' new report on changes in the marine environment around the country (AMSUM 2009).

The concentration of cadmium in Icelandic mussels, however, is higher than is generally the case in mussels from the waters of Europe and America.

Since 1989, an annual monitoring project of pollutants in the marine environment of Iceland has been underway. The project is funded by the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture and Matís ohf. The Environment Agency is the project's administrator.

Various pollutants in the ocean can enter marine organisms or organisms that feed on seafood. In many cases, this pollution is man-made and there is growing concern about this development. Pollutants are transported by air and sea currents from mainland Europe and America as well as pollution from Iceland. It is therefore important to monitor the amount of pollutants in Iceland, both in the environment and in the organisms that live in the country. It is also important to be able to compare the state of the marine life around Iceland with the situation in other countries, not least because of the importance of marine products to the nation.

In Matís' report (Monitoring of the marine biosphere around Iceland in 2008 - 2009) are the results of the monitoring project for the years 2008 and 2009. The study measures the trace elements lead, cadmium, mercury, copper and zinc, arsenic and selenium, the persistent organic pollutants HCH, HCB, PCB, chloride, trans-nonachlor, toxaphen, DDT and PBDE. The aim of the monitoring project is to identify changes that may occur in the concentration of trace elements in the marine environment around the country during a certain period and between different ocean and coastal areas. Among other things, the research is important for the sale of Icelandic seafood in both domestic and foreign markets, where it can be demonstrated with scientific data that Icelandic fish is caught in an unpolluted environment.

The report states that the concentration of heavy metals such as mercury is very low. However, the concentration of cadmium has sometimes been higher in the marine environment in Iceland than in more southerly areas. However, the amount of cadmium is low in the organisms studied, for example in the range of 0.1-1 mg / kg in mussels. The high concentration of cadmium in Iceland is regional and is considered to have natural causes as there is no evidence of man-made cadmium pollution. Thus, for example, cadmium levels in mussels have been higher in recent years in various places that are far from residential areas and commercial activities, such as in Mjóafjörður, than in Hvalfjörður and Straumsvík. Persistent organic pollutants are low in mussels and cod in Iceland.

For further information, please contact Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir and Hrönn Ólína Jörundsdóttir at Matís.

"The facilities and advice we received at Matís' food factory in Höfn in Hornafjörður were the key to the company becoming a reality".

This is what Kristín Þorvaldsdóttir from the company Hundahreysti says, who launched a new type of dog food at the beginning of April last year. The feed is produced according to the Swedish model, which uses Icelandic ingredients. The company is owned by Kristín and her husband, Daníel V. Elíasson, a food technician, but Kristín herself is a business graduate.

They introduced fresh food for dogs in Sweden at the time and after they moved back to Iceland they planned to import the food but it was not allowed as it is a raw material. Kristín works within the Icelandic Kennel Club and decided to combine her hobby and education and start a company for the production. This was the fateful autumn of 2008 and suddenly all assumptions about the financing of the production failed.

"The cost of production facilities was a difficult task for such a small innovative company, but at the beginning of 2009 we were pointed out the possibility of starting production at Matís' food factory in Höfn. In short, we went there, started trying to adapt the Nordic feed to Icelandic conditions. After that, we started production at Matís and got started. At Höfn we got all the facilities we needed and invaluable advice and help from Matís employees. And 10 months after we first launched the product, we have reached a 270 square meter production facility in Kópavogur, "says Kristín.

A group of dog owners was hired to test the production in the beginning and almost everyone is in Hundahreystur's customer group today. The production is about 4 tons per month, but the feed uses raw Icelandic mutton, beef belly and beef blood. No animal by-products other than bovine animals are used. In addition, it is added to potato fiber, wheat bran, calcium, minerals and vitamins. The meat in the feed is raw and that is why it is called fresh feed. The feed is sold frozen and stored for approx. year in the freezer. Nordic fresh food is complete food for dogs and there is no need to give the dog any supplement or mix with other food.

"Fortunately, we did not let the economic collapse stop us and most of all we received the help we received from Matís," says Kristín in Hundahreysti.

Further information can be obtained from Guðmundur H. Gunnarsson, Matís' professional and station manager at Höfn in Hornafjörður, gudmundur.h.gunnarsson@matis.is and with Kristín at Hundahreysti, 892-5292, www.hundahreysti.is.

On the 19th and 20th of October. A conference on fishing, processing, marketing and research on longline fish will be held in Gullhömri.

The conference is organized by Matís, Nofima in Norway, the University of Tromsø and Havstovan in the Faroe Islands. Lectures will be given by experts at various stages of the line fish value chain, followed by a general discussion among participants, i.e. Efforts will be made to identify the main opportunities in the industry. The conference will be held in English and the agenda can be accessed here.

Admission is free and open to all.

It is necessary to register, however jonas.r.vidarsson@matis.is (no later than October 15). 

On 30 August, a conference on pelagic fish was held at Gardemoen in Norway. The title of the conference was "Opportunities and opportunities in the pelagic fish industry. Looking to the future“.

SINTEF in Norway organized the conference in collaboration with Matís, the Technical University of Denmark and Chalmers University in Sweden. The topic of the lectures dealt with the handling of the catch on board, the production of products and by-products, as well as the quality and impact of pelagic fish on public health. Among the speakers from Iceland were Ásbjörn Jónsson and Sigurjón Arason from Matís together with Sindri Sigurðsson, quality manager of Síldarvinnslan.

The conference was well attended and was a great success. There was a lot of speculation about the position and future prospects in the pelagic fish industry and the possibilities that exist for increased production of products for consumers.

For further information, please contact Ásbjörn Jónsson, asbjorn.jonsson@matis.is.

Research is being carried out to increase knowledge of the properties of fat and its stability with regard to the condition of fish during fishing.

Fat composition in cod meat (Gadus morhua) according to season and fishing areas

In lean fish such as cod, fat development was not considered a problem. However, cod muscle contains a lot of unsaturated fatty acids which are easy to crave during storage. These changes have a negative effect on the taste and appearance of products. Research is being carried out to increase knowledge of the properties of fat and its stability with regard to the condition of fish during fishing. The condition of the fish is determined by various factors, such as the season, fishing area, size and age of the fish. Improved knowledge of raw materials and their stability during processing and storage will facilitate production management in fish processing, where the shelf life and quality of products are taken into account. 

The research is funded by the Fisheries Project Fund, which will run until the end of 2011.

Participants in the project are Oddi hf, KG Fiskverkun ehf, Þorbjörn, Skinney-Þinganes hf and Matís ohf. Project manager is Kristín A. Þórarinsdóttir, Matís ohf. 

Project title: Fat composition in cod meat (Gadus morhua) according to season and fishing areas

For further information, please contact Kristín A. Þórarinsdóttir, tel: 422-5081, e-mail: kristin.a.thorarinsdottir@matis.is.

A new project has now begun at Matís, which intends to investigate the effects of different salting methods and additives in order to reduce the negative effects of death stiffness on brine uptake. 

There is a big difference between the processing properties of farmed cod and wild cod. The growth of farmed cod is faster and the conditions in the environment are different. Slaughtering and handling of wild fish are also controlled. Previous research has shown that it is best to process farmed cod before death, but this has created problems in the production of lightly salted products. The physiological processes that occur during death stiffness counteract weight gain, partly because the muscle contracts. In the spring of 2010, AVS approved (www.avs.is), to support projects to investigate the effects of different salting methods and additives in order to reduce the negative effects of mortality on brine uptake. Experiments will be launched in the autumn, but the project is expected to be completed in June 2011.

Participants in the project are Hraðfrystihúsið - Gunnvör hf and Matís ohf. Kristján G. Jóakimsson is the project manager and Kristín A. Þórarinsdóttir, kristin.a.thorarinsdottir@matis.is, directs the work carried out by Matís in the project. 

Project title: Lightly salted products from farmed cod

On Monday 6 September, a doctoral defense will take place at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition, University of Iceland. Food scientist Þrándur Helgason is defending his doctoral dissertation "Micro ferries for bioactive substances"

Doctoral dissertation in food science from the Faculty of Food and Nutrition at the School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland

Micro-ferries for bioactive substances
On Monday 6 September, a doctoral defense will take place at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition, University of Iceland. The food scientist Þrándur Helgason is defending his doctoral dissertation "Formation of Solid Lipid Nanoparticles as Delivery Systems for Bioactive Ingredients". John Coupland Professor at Pennsylvania State University and dr. Ragnar Jóhannsson division manager at Matís ohf. Supervisors and the doctoral committee were dr. Kristberg Kristbergsson, professor at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition, University of Iceland, dr. Jochen Weiss, professor at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart, Germany and dr. D. Julian McClements, Professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA.

Dr. Inga Þórsdóttir, professor and dean of the Faculty of Food and Nutrition, 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 13:00.

Abstract from the study
An increase in food-related diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disease and hypertension has led to a huge increase in interest in developing foods that contain bioactive substances that can help control these diseases. Studies have shown that such diseases can be significantly reduced by making certain bioactive substances part of the daily diet. The problem is that many of these bioactive substances are very unstable and do not tolerate the usual processing and storage of food. This is especially true for substances such as omega-3 fatty acids, b-carotene and lycopene that are broken down and not utilized. Problems with stability mean that much less of these substances are used than is desirable in common foods. The purpose of this project was to develop special micro-ferries as carriers for health-enhancing bioactive substances that can be added to foods to ensure their stability and effective absorption during digestion. The micro-ferns were made from substances common in foods such as certain fats, phospholipids and emulsifiers that were specially designed to increase stability and improve the uptake of bioactive substances. In the project, the stability of substances and their activity were assessed.

About the doctoral dissertation
Þrándur Helgason was born in 1980 and completed a BS degree in food science at the University of Iceland in 2004. He defended his master's thesis in food science at the University of Iceland in 2006 and was subsequently hired as a doctoral student at the University of Iceland in collaboration with the University of Massachusetts. part of the experimental work. In 2009 he moved to Stuttgart, Germany, where research was continued. Þrándur is the son of the couple Helgi Jóhannesson and Elín Sigurbjörg Jónsdóttir. Thrond's wife is Hanna Salminen.

For further information, contact Þrándur Helgason, e-mail thrandur@hi.is, phone 00491606034768 or Kristberg Kristbergsson, professor, email kk@hi.is, phone 525-4052.

See also the website of the University of Iceland:

See also the website of the University of Iceland: www.hi.is/

The first fisheries conference will be held 6-7. September 2010 at the Grand Hotel in Reykjavík. The conference has the web www.sjavarutvegsradstefnan.is where you can download the program and other information.

Sjávarútvegsráðstefnan ehf.
At the beginning of the year, Sjávarútvegsráðstefnan ehf. established but the role of the company is to hold an annual fisheries conference and its purpose is to:

• promote professional and informative coverage of the fisheries sector
• be a forum for communication between all those involved in the fisheries sector in Iceland

The first fisheries conference will be held 6-7. September 2010 at the Grand Hotel in Reykjavík. The conference has the web www.sjavarutvegsradstefnan.is where you can download the program and other information.

The idea
The idea of the fisheries conference is to create a communication platform for all those involved in the fisheries sector in Iceland. This group includes those involved in fishing, aquaculture, primary processing, advanced processing, sales and marketing, services and research and development, as well as public bodies, teachers and students, the media and other enthusiasts. Today, there are various conferences and meetings within the fishing industry, but then usually related to individual associations, organizations or materials. The association is not an interest group of individual groups and does not work for advocacy.

The Fisheries Conference is for everyone!
The aim of the fisheries conference is to bring together in one place a cross-section of the industry to work for progress and progress. The Fisheries Conference is a forum where people meet, strengthen relationships and co-operate in the industry. The conference discusses important issues in the field of fisheries and it is hoped that it will be a source of ideas and encouragement for good works that conference guests have as a vegan at the end of it.

Content of the conference
Every year new material is introduced and the first conference will focus on the following themes: markets and product development, opportunities for value creation, the Iceland brand, eco-labeling and tourism and the fisheries sector. The conference will feature almost 30 presentations on various issues in the fisheries sector.