Category: News

It is important to consider all aspects of the food value chain because each chain is never stronger than its weakest link.

The main results of the project "Reforms in the food value chain" have now been compiled in a report and published on Matís' website and can be found here along with detailed reports on Matís' aspects of the project.

The project was led by the Confederation of Icelandic Industries and carried out in collaboration with Kaupás, Norðlenska, Sláturfélag Suðurlands, the Research Center of the store, Matís and AGR action analysis.

The Technology Development Fund supported the project. The project focused on the process of meat products, which is a rather complex processing and requires both cooling and in some cases heating, throughout the processing process and throughout the store. Nevertheless, the results should be useful in other sectors of food processing.

Food manufacturers are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the contents of the report.

Matís has also published three other reports on individual aspects of the project; Product process mapping and product management, The effect of the cooling chain on the shrinkage of meat together Suggestions for project descriptions for meat refrigeration chains.

For further information, contact Þóra Valsdóttir, thora.valsdottir@matis.is.

A report has been published from Matís ohf. which is called Undesirable substances in seafood products - results from the Icelandic marine monitoring activities.

The report, which can be found here, shows the results of measurements of the amount of toxic pollutants in Icelandic seafood in 2008 and is part of a continuous monitoring project funded by the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture and has been ongoing since 2003. As in previous years of monitoring, the results of 2008 show that an edible part of fish caught in Icelandic waters contains very small amounts of organic pollutants such as dioxins, dioxin-like PCBs and pesticides (insecticides and plant toxins), compared to the maximums recognized by European countries. Oil and meal made from blue whiting, however, must be close to or exceed the permissible limits for certain substances. Cod liver can also exceed the permitted limits.

The data collected year after year in this project is used to build an increasingly accurate database on the state of Icelandic marine products with regard to pollutants. The report is in English and is accessible on Matís' website so that it can be used by producers, exporters, the government and others to promote the safety and wholesomeness of Icelandic fish products.

The results of measurements of cod liver, fishmeal and fish oil for feed preparation confirm the need to closely monitor the levels of persistent organic pollutants such as dioxins, PCBs and pesticides in these products in the spring. The concentration of the substances depends on the nutritional status of the pelagic fish stocks from which the products are processed and reaches its peak during the spawning season. The levels of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs as well as individual pesticides stop exceeding the EU's permitted levels. This is especially true for blue whiting products.

A graphical presentation of the results of the monitoring project can be accessed on Matís' website via the link "Icelandic seafood - clean and unpolluted“.

The authors of the report are Hrönn Ólína Jörundsdóttir, Katrín Hauksdóttir, Natasa Desnica and Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir. The project manager is Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir, who provides further information, helga.gunnlaugsdottir@matis.is.

Access to project pages on the Matís website has now been greatly improved. The tab directly on the project pages is located in a green banner at the top right of the front page of Matís, www.matis.is.

Research projects within the company are funded by Matís ohf., As well as grants from domestic and foreign research funds. Numerous projects are carried out for and financed in part or in full by domestic companies and institutions.

Further information can be found here and by contacting Jón H. Arnarson, jon.h.arnarson@matis.is.

Matís is looking for collaboration with parties that produce skyr in a traditional way.

Skyr is a traditional Icelandic product that seems to have been made in Iceland since the settlement, but a dairy product under this same name was then known in all the Nordic countries. Skyrgerð, however, seems to have been preserved only in Iceland. Probably the sky during the settlement era has been different from what we know today, both more acidic and thinner. The production of skyr has changed significantly in the last century with the advent of its factory production. Various versions are now available from the factory
skyri, they all have in common that they are quite different from the homemade ones.

Skyr is an important part of our cultural heritage in Iceland and it is therefore important to gain more knowledge about this product. Nevertheless, little research has been done on traditional skyr and its diversity. Matís is currently seeking research on the composition and properties of traditional skyr and is therefore looking for collaboration with parties that still practice skyr in the traditional way.

For further information, contact Þóra Valsdóttir at Matís, tel. 422-5143, thora.valsdottir@matis.is.

Recently, a special laboratory was opened for cell research at the Matís Biotechnology Center in Verin in Sauðárkrókur, and Dr. Hólmfríður Sveinsdóttir at Matís oversees the laboratory.

Líftæknismiðjan always employs four specialists from Matís, three from the Division of Biotechnology and Biotechnology and one from the Division of Processing and Value Added. Líftæknismiðjan conducts highly specialized research on the bioactivity of marine biomaterials, and Matís' goal is to make the laboratory one of the best in the world in this field.

Bioactivity can include anti-cancer, antihypertensive and antioxidant activity. The perfect equipment for measuring bioactivity measured already exists in vitro situations (in test tubes) performed under the direction of Dr. Patriciu Hamaguchi. Since in vitro research has shown good results, there is great interest in examining bioactivity in more detail in cell models where in vitro bioactivity measurements have been criticized for their ability to predict activity in biological systems. A measurement method is already being developed to evaluate the antioxidant activity of fish peptides in Hep G2 cells.

This is an important step forward in the bioactivity of fish and marine products and is necessary for the next stage of this research, which involves clinical trials in animals and humans.

Hrönn Ólína Jörundsdóttir, an employee of Matís, will have a course at the University Center of the Westfjords 3.-21. May nk.

There, Hrönn will lead students to the whole truth about the pollutants of the sea around Iceland, the coastlines of other countries as well as what factors affect the pollution of sea areas.

The course is conducted in English and further information is available here. Hrönn Ólína also provides information, hronn.o.jorundsdóttir@matis.is.

Peter Kreiner from the NOMA restaurant in Copenhagen is on his way to Iceland to attend and speak at a conference hosted by Matís and others on 20 and 21 May.

Peter will talk about how Nordic values can be promoted in cuisine. Noma aims to offer a personalized approach to Nordic gourmet cuisine, where traditional methods of cooking, Nordic ingredients as well as our common food traditions and heritage are linked to new and original cuisine.

News about NOMA's recognition can be found here.

NOMA Website: www.noma.dk

SINTEF in Norway is organizing a conference on pelagic fish on 30 August in collaboration with Matís in Iceland, DTU in Denmark and Chalmers in Sweden.

The conference will be held at the Best Western Oslo Airport Hotel, Gardermoen in Norway. The conference focuses on fishing and processing of pelagic fish, as well as practical research.

Emphasis will be placed on, among other things, the handling of catch on board, processing technology, quality issues, health and the utilization of by-products of pelagic fish.

Among the speakers is Hanne Digre from SINTEF in Norway and she will discuss pelagic fishing as well as handling catch on board. Ingrid Underland from Chalmers University in Gothenburg will talk about protein isolation from pelagic fish and by-products, as well as the development of pelagic fish fat. Henrik H. Nielsen from DTU Denmark will discuss in his presentation the effect of fishing areas and fishing time on the quality of fresh and frozen herring. Sigurjón Arason from Matís will discuss handling and cooling methods for pelagic fish. Ásbjörn Jónsson will discuss fishing methods as well as quality and production management of pelagic fish. Lecturers from the Nordic industry will discuss the opportunities and future of fishing and processing pelagic fish.

Further information about the program, registration etc. can be found on the website SINTEF

There was a lively discussion at the spring conference of the Association of Icelandic Fishmeal Producers, which was held on 8-9. last April at the Grand Hotel. Matís did not give up and had two lectures on his side there.

In his lecture, Lárus Þorvaldsson discussed the cooling of pelagic catch for processing on land. There he went over the results that have been achieved with continuous temperature measurements and follow-up on board the pelagic vessels of Síldarvinnslan, but in addition he presented the possibilities of computerized thermodynamics and hydrodynamics for design, processing control and decision-making in pelagic fishing.

Sigurjón Arason also discussed Matís' research on seasonal fluctuations in the fat and dry matter content of pelagic fish, as well as his input on market conditions and the potential for utilization of various pelagic species. Sigurjón also discussed Matís' work in creating a quality indicator for pelagic fish, but in recent months Matís has developed sensory assessment methods to assess the freshness of pelagic species.

Both lectures aroused great interest among conference guests and it is clear that Matís' research is being closely monitored for the benefit of the Icelandic fisheries sector.

From 14.-15. In April, an international workshop (Workshop) on "Methods for analyzing the risks and benefits of food consumption and dissemination of information to consumers" will be held at Matís' new headquarters.

This workshop is part of the SAFEFOODERA EraNet project on risk and benefit assessment. A total of 23 experts from 8 countries are expected to take part in the meeting.

The aim of the project is to develop methods to analyze the risks and benefits of food consumption and the dissemination of information to consumers. In order to achieve this goal, the intention is to utilize knowledge and experience in risk and benefit analysis that has been built up in other fields of study, such as medicine and pharmacology, microbiology, environmental sciences, sociology and economics, and to transfer as well as adapt the methods to food and nutrition. The intention is to collect data and make use of experience that has been built up in the fields of study that use risk and benefit analysis today, and to transfer this knowledge and develop methods that are suitable in the field of food. 

Matís' role is to collect data and utilize the experience that has been built up in the field of microbiology on risk assessment and transfer this knowledge to develop methods for risk and benefit analysis in food. The work in the project is based on all aspects of risk and benefit analysis, ie risk and benefit assessment, risk and benefit management, risk and benefit presentation.

The conference will feature, among others, Hans Verhagen, who is a highly regarded professional in the field of risk-benefit analysis in food. Hans heads a 45-50-person department working in this field at the RIVM National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands. In addition, he holds a professorship at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. The meeting these days is therefore a good opportunity to learn about these issues from those who are among the leaders in their field.  

The agenda of the meeting can be seen here.