Category: News

Some of Matís' employees will run in the Reykjavík Marathon which will take place tomorrow. Matís has a strong group of runners and Björn Margeirsson is the leader among peers. Björn aims to improve the best time for an Icelander in an entire marathon in this direction.

Every year, Matís donates certain funds to charity and it was decided to use the Reykjavík Marathon this year for that purpose. In addition, it is clear in Matís' personnel policy to promote employee health promotion, so it is ideal to combine the two this time in this annual event. Matís is therefore the name of every employee who runs for a charity (see more at www.hlaupastyrkur.is).

Matís employees who will take part in the race tomorrow are the following:

• Björn Margeirsson runs 42.2 km and estimates almost 2:30 hours. in it
• Sveinn Margeirsson runs 21.1 km and estimates almost 80 minutes in it
• Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir runs 21.1 km and intends to improve her best time
• Steinar B. Aðalbjörnsson runs 10 km and estimates almost 37 minutes in it
• Kolbrún Sveinsdóttir runs 10 km and intends to improve her best time
• Sigríður Sigurðardóttir runs 10 km and intends to improve her best time
• Hörður G. Kristinsson runs 3 km and intends to improve his best time

Matís wishes the runners good luck and encourages everyone to visit the site www.hlaupastyrkur.is and let the good lead.

In recent years, mackerel has been caught in large quantities within Icelandic jurisdiction. Recently, a project was started where knowledge will be gained about variability in the chemical, physical and processing properties of mackerel.

Assessment of variability in mackerel characteristics by season and storage conditions
The aim is to build a knowledge base that will be used to improve the utilization and value of mackerel caught in Icelandic waters.

The warming sea off the coast of Iceland is considered to be the main reason why mackerel is increasingly entering Icelandic jurisdiction. The status of the stock is good and if it is used in the future in a responsible way, it will yield great value. Today, the majority of the catch is used in flour and fish oil processing, but only a small part of the catch is currently used for human consumption. 

Increased knowledge of the condition and processing properties of mackerel according to seasons and fishing areas will be used to establish a more efficient classification of the catch, to improve the handling of the catch and to facilitate decision-making on processing methods. In order to achieve good results in the utilization of mackerel for human consumption on land, it is necessary to apply the correct procedures for fishing, for cooling the catch and for maintaining the storage temperature from fishing until processing begins. An increase in mackerel processing for human consumption will result in increased value compared to flour and fish oil products. 

Participants in the project are Síldarvinnslan hf., Ísfélag Vestmannaeyja hf., HB Grandi hf., Vinnslustöðin hf., Eskja hf., Skinney - Þinganes hf., Samherji hf., Gjögur hf., Loðnuvinnslan hf., Huginn ehf and Matís ohf.

The project is funded by AVS and lasts for 1 year. For further information, please contact Sigurjón Arason, sigurjon.arason@matis.is, and Kristín Anna Þórarinsdóttir, kristin.a.thorarinsdottir@matis.is, Matís ohf.

Sigrún Mjöll Halldórsdóttir, an employee of Matís, was in an interview on Channel 2 recently where she discussed the wholesomeness of whey and the opportunities for companies in the dairy industry to use Icelandic whey for food production and especially for the production of food supplements.

The interview can be accessed here (almost 3/4 into the interview).

Sigrún Mjallar's article on whey can be found here.

For further information, contact Sigrún, sigrun.m.halldorsdottir@matis.is.

Recently, a project was launched that aims to use electricity to heat air for drying fishmeal in an efficient way. In this way, it would be possible to achieve the goal of the fisheries sector to utilize only domestic energy in the production of fishmeal and to significantly reduce the import of oil for land processing.

Most of the Icelandic fishmeal factories were built during the herring years (1950-1965). In those years, energy saving had become an almost unknown concept and oil prices low, compared to what it is today. The fishmeal industry has used fire dryers, air dryers and steam dryers. The use of fire dryers is declining, however, as both air and steam dryers deliver increased quality in the final product as well as being more efficient in operation with regard to environmental pollution, energy consumption and production management.

The plan is to replace equipment that heats air with an indirect air dryer. As it is today, air is heated by burning oil in excess of air and heating the circulating dry air in a heat exchanger. As oil prices have risen in recent years due to exchange rate fluctuations and rising world markets, the preconditions for using oil have changed. Increased environmental awareness has also encouraged the use of renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels. There is a big difference in energy costs between the electric heater and the fuel heater, so it is believed that considerable financial savings are involved in using electricity for drying instead of black oil.

The electrification of fishmeal factories also provides an opportunity for the Icelandic fisheries sector to take a decisive global lead in climate issues. Thus, the Government's action plan on climate change estimates that the electrification of fishmeal production could save greenhouse gas emissions of 25-50 Gg, according to which the goal must be achieved by 2020.

Participants in the project are Héðinn hf., HB-Grandi hf. and Matís ohf.

The project is funded by AVS and is for 1 year. The project manager is Gunnar Pálsson at Héðinn hf. For further information, please contact Sigurjón Arason at Matís ohf., sigurjon.arason@matis.is.

The idea for the episodes came to Gunnþórunn Einarsdóttir, a food scientist Matís and Brynhildur Pálsdóttir, product designer. The shows are shown on RÚV on Sunday evenings at 19:35, and aim to present to the audience all the incredible possibilities in the wonderful ingredients found in the sea around the country.

Gunnþórunn's master's project in food science at the University of Iceland dealt with the state of fish consumption among young people in Iceland. The results of the project showed that there was a great need to strengthen both people's knowledge and consumption of seafood.

From this project, the idea arose to make a TV show where the seafood of the country was in the lead role. Gunnþórunn and Brynhildur got Svein Kjartansson the chef, Áslaug Snorradóttir the photographer and Sagafilm in a team to make the idea a reality. The idea was further developed and implemented by Áslaug, Sveinn and Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdóttir, directors at Sagafilm.

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.

The Association of Fish Processing Plants and Matís ohf. convene a working meeting on 17 September, where a salt fish producer interest group will be formally established. The main purpose of the meeting is to discuss the state of the industry and future emphases in the development and cooperation of salted fish producers.

Icelandic salted fish products have been in demand and prominent in foreign markets. It is important that Icelandic producers strengthen their position through strong co-operation on common interests.

In light of this, the Association of Fish Processing Plants and Matís ohf. to a working meeting in September 2010, where a salt fish producer interest group will be formally established. The main purpose of the meeting is to discuss the state of the industry and future emphases in the development and cooperation of salted fish producers.

Extensive developments have taken place in salted fish processing in recent years. Saltfish processing has evolved from being a position salting where poorer raw materials were used to produce products, to being a multifaceted process where different salting techniques are used to achieve the desired utilization and the highest possible quality. Requirements for raw material quality have also changed completely. These factors, as well as changes in storage conditions and transport processes, have given Icelandic producers a dominant position in the markets that offer the highest prices. Appearance, including tint, is a significant factor in product pricing as well as size classification.   

Salted fish processing is a long production process where product defects often do not appear until the processing time has elapsed. Examples are yellowing, which has often been associated with excessive copper or iron content in salt or the use of copper in processing equipment and other objects that come into contact with the fish. It is important to react quickly to the increased defect rate caused by jaundice, which can cause great financial damage to Icelandic producers, as buyers demand high damages. The damage associated with the image of Icelandic products is not valued. 

Today, the production and sale of salted fish products is largely in the hands of each and every producer, and at the same time, the dissemination of information and coordination with the production of products has decreased compared to the time when SIF was and was named. Formal co-operation between producers is intended to strengthen the flow of information concerning the common interests of producers. It is to everyone's advantage that Icelandic products are generally known for quality and trust between producers and buyers is further strengthened.  

All producers who have a processing license for salted fish processing have been sent a meeting invitation and a formal registration for the workshop took place last June. It is still possible to register participants and receive further information about the meeting which will be held at Matís ohf in mid-September.  

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

AVS-Verknr .:  R 09065-09
Matís-Verknr .:  200-1963

Matís, Nofima, the University of Tromsø and Havstovan in the Faroe Islands are holding a workshop on longline fishing on 19 and 20 October in Iceland.

The workshop will focus on the value chain of line fish with regard to fishing, processing, marketing, quality and environmental impact. Experts in these fields will give presentations at the meeting, followed by discussions with participants. It is expected that the meeting will bring together those involved in the value chain of longline fish in the Nordic countries and will facilitate co-operation between them in the future.

The workshop will be held at Gullhömrar, Þjóðhildarstígur 12, 113 Reykjavík

Participation is open to all and free of charge.

Agenda of the workshop can be seen here.

All further information is provided by Jónas Rúnar Viðarsson jonas.r.vidarsson@matis.is

The eTrace project (eRek) is now in its second year and its results are already attracting considerable attention. The purpose of the project is to define, develop and implement a traceability system based on the EPCIS standard and to examine whether it is suitable for food traceability.

Integrating food safety information with other real-time traceability information opens up opportunities to simultaneously increase product safety. 

This spring, an experimental run was carried out in Sweden on the software that has been developed in the project, where fish tanks were marked with RFID tags as soon as they were landed. RFID tags emit radio waves, which can be easily read and the tags were glued to the outside of pots, boxes and packaging. In this way, the movement of cod from fishing, through processing and all the way to consumers could be monitored automatically. The gloves were used to obtain information on the location and timing of RFID tags, through landing and processing in Simrishavn and to consumers in Gothenburg.

Information made visible to consumers.

The implementations that have been developed in the project are promising and our Swedish cousins appreciated the further information about the fish in graphic form. Sales increased significantly for those products where traceability information was available and store owners were very pleased to be able to show consumers the product's path from fishing to the fish table. The RFID tags used in the test run proved their worth, but so far there have often been problems with the use of RFID tags in the wet and cold conditions of fish processing.

Fish boxes marked with RFID tags are scanned upon landing.

As mentioned above, the aim of the project is to develop and implement a traceability system based on the EPCIS standard. The system replaces the fact that information is collected manually, thus increasing automation and reducing the possibility of mistakes. The Swedish Fisheries Inspectorate (Fiskeriverket), which is a participant in the project, sees great potential for the EPCIS standard and RFID tags to meet the recent EU regulation no. 1224/2009, which states that member states must demonstrate the complete traceability of fish products. Their interest is also due to the fact that they believe that the system could be useful for fisheries management.

Screenshot of the software showing the processing process of fish, where fish comes from both the ship and the market. After processing these 6 boxes of fish, 6 packs of fish will be stacked on one pallet. Behind this picture is further information that is useful for product traceability.

A similar experimental run is planned for Iceland this autumn, where this technology will be used to accompany fish from fishing, through processing and all the way to consumers in Europe.

Many companies and institutions are responsible for the project and Matís oversees certain aspects of its work, but Valur Gunnlaugsson and Sveinn Margeirsson have had their way and problems with Matís' work in the project. In addition to Matís, the Norwegian companies SINTEF and TraceTracker, Lund University, the technology company Roi4u and the Swedish Fisheries Inspectorate are among the participants in the project, which is funded by the SafeFoodEra program.

A booklet that describes in a simple way in words and pictures the handling of fish freshly pulled from the sea

Following these guidelines can ensure the maximum value of fresh fish products.

The brochure will be distributed throughout the country in collaboration with, among others, the National Association of Small Boat Owners, you can also request a copy by sending an e-mail to matis@matis.is or call 422 5000.

The booklet can be download here.

Matís plays a leading role in two new and extensive multinational projects that the European Union has decided to support for three years, EcoFishMan and AMYLOMICS.

EU grants amount to a total of 5.5 million euros, equivalent to about 860 million ISK. Of this, Matís' share is a total of 950,000 euros for both projects, equivalent to about 150 million ISK. Matís manages both projects

This means that the EU transfers all funding to Matís, which then pays its domestic and foreign partners. A considerable part of the projects will be carried out at Matís 'offices in the countryside, as they are based, among other things, on Matís' good collaboration with companies all over the country. Master's and doctoral students will work on the projects.  

The European Union expects the EcoFishMan project to develop a new methodology that will be useful for changes and improvements to the Union's fisheries management system. Emphasis is placed on co-operation with fishermen, fishing and processing and on the utilization of information from electronic catch diaries. The aim of the project is to promote environmentally friendly, sustainable and economic management with a special emphasis on traceability and to minimize discards.

That EcoFishMan The project involves a total of 13 institutions, companies and universities in eight European countries, including the University of Iceland and the University of Tromsø in Norway. The project is expected to cost 3.7 million euros over three years and the EU's grant is 3.0 million euros.

• Dr. Anna Kristín Daníelsdóttir, division manager at Matís, will be project manager and dr. Sveinn Margeirsson, Matís's division manager, will be with her on the project's science committee.

The AMYLOMICS project will utilize the diverse ecosystems of geothermal areas in Iceland to develop heat-resistant enzymes for use in the starch and sugar industries. Heat and acid resistance are essential properties in such industrial processes, but can be found in the enzymes of organisms in thermal areas.

Among the participants in AMYLOMICS is a French company Rocket Frères, which is one of the largest in Europe in the production of starch and derivatives, with an annual turnover of about 7 billion euros. Roquette Frères will be testing enzymes that will be developed in the project for testing and innovation in its production.

• Dr. Guðmundur Óli Hreggviðsson, subject manager at Matís, will be project manager. Two other Icelandic companies, directly involved in the project, Roche Nimblegen and Prokazyme.

14 points out of 15 possible in a professional evaluation!

Sjöfn Sigurgísladóttir, CEO of Matís, says that the two projects and the EU's support for them are good news for the Icelandic scientific community and recognition for Matís:

"EU research grants are in great demand and there is a lot of competition for them. EcoFishMan received 14 points out of 15 possible in the opinion of the EU professional committee, which is a great result and returned the project to Matís and partners. With this, we become even more established in international scientific co-operation, and of course it is a special gift for Icelanders to now receive substantial funds into society from abroad during these times of recession and austerity. "

More about EcoFishMan
The European Union's Common Fisheries Policy does not deliver the desired results. Suffice it to say that close to 90% fish stocks in the jurisdiction of EU countries are overfished and a third of the stocks are in danger of extinction because they fail to regenerate. Discards are a major problem, for example it is estimated that 30-55% cod catches from the North Sea are discarded.

One of the goals of the EcoFishMan project is to analyze what has been successful in Icelandic fisheries management and "export". At the same time, there are plans for more co-operation with those who work in fishing and processing in the fishing industry.

Among the Icelandic parties that will be approached for professional knowledge are  Directorate of Fisheries, Association of Fish Processing Plants, National Association of Icelandic Fishermen, Marine Research Institute, Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture, National Association of Small Boat Owners and several Icelandic companies that produce technical equipment for the fishing industry, such as Trackwell, Vaki and Marel.

More about AMYLOMICS
The biotechnology project AMYLOMICS is the idea of Matís' experts and Iceland will largely be its forum. The diversity of geothermal areas in Iceland is unique and Matís has extensive expertise in their ecosystem. The project is based on developing technology to utilize this special Icelandic genetic source, producing enzymes with certain, important properties and exploring possibilities for utilization in various areas of the chemical and food industry.

Among the participants in AMYLOMICS is the French company Rocket Frères, which is one of the largest in Europe in the production of starch and derivatives, with an annual turnover of about 7 billion euros. Roquette Frères will be testing enzymes that will be developed in the project for testing and innovation in its production.

The company Roche Nimblegen also participates in the project and will, in collaboration with Matís, develop and improve methods for obtaining genes from hot springs.      

Further information: Sjöfn Sigurgísladóttir CEO, phone 858 5119.