Category: News

Can I offer you a slaughter cake and rhubarb caramel?

Designers 'and farmers' dates.
Students and teachers in product design at the Iceland Academy of the Arts have worked in collaboration with Matís ohf and the national team chefs Gunnar Karl Grétarsson and Örvar Birgisson on the development of new products for Icelandic farmers.

The aim of the project is to increase the value of the products and promote innovation in Icelandic agriculture.

The project began as a five-week course for second-year students in product design at the Iceland Academy of the Arts. Students visited the farmer and got to know his production, facilities and knowledge. Subsequently, proposals were made for a new product for the farmer. At this stage, there was cooperation with four farmers. The great satisfaction and interest of the public led to the decision to continue with the project and choose two products each year to develop and bring to market. The project is funded by the Technology Development Fund and the Agricultural Productivity Fund. 

The first harvest of the project came to light this autumn, the slaughter cake that will be available next summer at the restaurant Fjalladýrð in Möðrudalur á Fjöllum, and the rhubarb caramel that will be available in specialty stores and directly from the town of Löngumýri in Skeiðar. 

Today, the target group that makes demands on products based on good design, quality and traceability is growing. By bringing together one of the oldest professions in the country, farmers and one of the youngest professions in the country, designers, exciting possibilities and new opportunities are created. What comes to mind when a young designer comes up with a chopped liver? How do farmers take the designers 'ideas and what are the food experts' posts? 

The project's collaborators in 2008 are Elísabet Kristjánsdóttir and Vilhjálmur Vernharðsson in Möðrudalur in the mountains and Dorothee Lubecki and Kjartan Ágústsson in Löngumýri in Skeiðar.

The participants in the chat are:

Sigríður Sigurjónsdóttir, Professor of Product Design at the Iceland Academy of the Arts

Brynhildur Pálsdóttir, product designer

Guðmundur H. Gunnarsson, department manager at Matís

Irek Klonowski, agricultural engineer at Matís

A marketing plan application to RANNÍS, for the research cluster Nutrition in Innovation, is currently being prepared. The presentation of the preparatory work will take place on Tuesday 16 September at 15–16 in the Grand Hotel, meeting room Gullteig B, where meeting guests can get to know the project and discuss opportunities and collaboration. Among those presenting the topics is Guðjón Þorkelsson, Head of Matís' Processing and Product Development Division.

The meeting will present some of the topics of the class:
• Introduction - Kristinn Andersen, Marel
• Research and processing of food - Guðjón Þorkelsson, Matís
• Opportunities in nutrition - Inga Þórsdóttir, LSH-HÍ
• Entrepreneurs, innovation and business development - Sigríður Ingvarsdóttir, NMÍ
• Discussions and coffee breaks

The conference 9th International Conference on the Application of Magnetic Resonance in Food Science will be held at the Nordic House in Reykjavík on 15-17 September by Matís ohf.

The conference is the ninth in a series of popular conference series, held every two years. It brings together the leading experts in Magnetic Resonance in food research in the world today together with participants from industry and beyond. This time the emphasis is on the use of technology in fish and meat research and how the technology can be used in food production processes in general.

Although nuclear and electronic research is not new, the technology has only been used in food research to a limited extent in Iceland so far. By holding the conference here in Iceland, an attempt is made to introduce the great possibilities and advantages of this technology to Icelandic researchers and industry, thus deepening the understanding of the Icelandic food industry and researchers about the behavior and changes that food undergoes in its production processes.

Paper presented at the conference will also be published in the form of scientific articles in a magnificent conference proceedings, which will be distributed to all participants. The publication is published by the Royal Society of Chemistry in the United Kingdom. All posters presented at the conference will also be published on its website after the conference.

Further information on the conference agenda and presentations can be found on the conference website www.matis.is/mrinfood2008 Registrations and inquiries are accepted at the e-mail address mrinfood2008@matis.is or by phone +354 422 5091 (María Guðjónsdóttir). 

The conference is sponsored by Matís ohf., The University of Iceland, the Nordic Marine Academy, Bruker Optics, Stelar, Woodhouse Publishing and the Royal Society of Chemistry in the UK.

Matís ohf has completed a detailed fatty acid analysis of 30 samples of food on the Icelandic market in comparison with previous results, but a large study was conducted on fatty acids in all categories of food on the Icelandic market in 1995.

The current results show that the proportion of trans-fatty acids for almost all foods is lower than before, but a considerable amount of trans-fatty acids was detected in some samples of certain products. Dietary recommendations recommend that people eat as little trans fatty acids from industrial raw materials as possible. It is also recommended to limit the consumption of saturated fatty acids. In this way, the risk of heart disease can be reduced.

The analyzes were this time carried out with Matís' new gas analysis, but he offers very detailed analyzes. 46 fatty acids were analyzed, including trans fatty acids, but they were now analyzed for the first time at Matís. Previously, samples had to be sent abroad for analysis of trans fatty acids.

Fatty acid analyzes were performed on margarine, baked goods, biscuits, ice cream, snacks, sweets and food from fast food places. The samples were taken in June 2008. The study did not cover dairy products and cattle and lamb products that contain a small amount of trans-fatty acids from nature. Also were not included with various foods that contain vegetable oils and therefore no trans fatty acids, but among these foods are various breads and cakes.

For all categories of the above foods, at least some of the samples were detected with little or no trans fatty acids, which is a big change from what has been the case. For example, there were almost no trans fatty acids in the types of biscuits examined. This shows that the food industry has found ways to produce products without trans fatty acids. However, a considerable amount of trans fatty acids was detected in some samples of margarine, baked goods and ice cream. It is clear that manufacturers can improve these products and get rid of trans fatty acids. The results are in line with the fact that in many countries good results have been achieved in reducing trans-fatty acids in food.

A large study was conducted on fatty acids in all categories of food on the Icelandic market in 1995. The results now show that the proportion of trans-fatty acids for almost all foods is lower than before. In some cases the change is very big, such as for biscuits, glowing margarine and french fries.

The table below summarizes the results for the categories of fatty acids. The table shows the ratios of fatty acids and not their amount. The proportion of trans fatty acids is in most cases very low. In Denmark, the maximum value for trans fatty acids from industrial raw material is 2% of all fatty acids. The ratio is below this limit for 17 samples out of 30. Another 7 samples have trans fatty acids in the range of 2-4.2%. Significant trans fatty acids were detected in 6 samples, namely margarine, baked goods and ice cream.

It is clear from the results that the food industry is increasingly using wholemeal fats without trans fatty acids and liquid vegetable oils instead of semi-hard fats, which led to trans fats being present in the products. In recent years, there has been an improvement in the hardening of fats, so efforts are being made to increase as much as possible unsaturated fatty acids (including trans-fatty acids) in saturated fatty acids. It is therefore no longer possible to conclude that trans fatty acids are present in foods when hardened fats are indicated in the description of ingredients. On the other hand, it is clear that trans fatty acids are present when labeled semi-hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated. It is a disadvantage of the use of saturated fats that it provides saturated fatty acids, but it is an undoubted advantage that the trans-fatty acids are no longer present. The use of vegetable oils is more suitable because they contain a lot of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

The results show that vegetable oils are used in some baked goods, table margarine, potato snacks and food from fast food places. It is also clear from the ingredients that vegetable oils are widely used in bread and cakes. However, this does not apply to all baked goods, of all samples, the most trans fatty acids were measured in donuts. This can be improved by choosing a frying fat without trans fatty acids.

Click here to view a table with the results of fatty acid analyzes of food on the Icelandic market in June 2008.

There will be a presentation of new equipment that performs freshness assessment of fish, at Matís' premises at Borgartún at 9 pm. 10:00, Friday 12 September. Sequid is called the device, which measures whether the fish has been frozen once or twice, as well as whether it is actually fresh or thawed, and provides an objective assessment of the quality of the raw material in a matter of seconds.

The development of the equipment was carried out by a team of scientists from Wefta European countries and was Sequid the equipment recently launched. Icelandic enthusiasts of fish quality assessment are now offered the opportunity to see a presentation of the latest technology in this field.

On 3 and 4 September, a project meeting was held in the European project QALIBRA in Reykjavík.

QALIBRA, or "Quality of Life - Integarted Benefit and Risk Analysis. Web-based tool for assessing food safety and health benefits, ”Abbreviated QALIBRA (Heilsuvogin in Icelandic), is the title of a European project, which falls under Priority 5, Food Quality & Safety in the 6th EU Research Program. This is a three and a half year project managed by Matís ohf. The project manager is Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir, department manager at Matís.

The aim of the QALIBRA project is to develop quantitative methods to assess both the positive and negative effects of food ingredients on human health. These methods will be presented in a computer program that will be open to stakeholders on the World Wide Web.

Participants in the project are from Iceland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Greece, Portugal and Hungary.

Matís has completed a preliminary project that was funded by the Rannís Technology Development Fund in collaboration with the canning factory Ice-W ehf. Grindavík. The project focused on liver enzyme treatment for canning. The aim of the project was to increase the profitability of canning of the liver by reducing production costs and increasing the quality of products.

The aim of the project was achieved by developing and testing a technology that removes membranes and ringworms from the surface of the liver with enzymes. A method of brine salting was also developed for canning instead of putting salt directly into cans with the raw material, as is done today.

The results of the project are promising as they managed to reduce the number of ringworms in the liver by 80%, and soften the membrane significantly. The purpose of removing or softening the membrane surrounding the liver was to provide better and more even dosing in cans and increase utilization, as well as the resulting optimization of the processing process. It is possible to reduce the number of full-time equivalents during liver cleansing, as well as increase the efficiency by 100%, with this method. A grant has been received from AVS to work further on these issues.

The results and benefits of the project mainly consist of new technology for the removal of liver membranes and ringworms, which leads to improved procedures and streamlining of processing. Salt brine salting for canning results in a better and more even quality of product. As a result, the value added of canned liver increases, which creates increased value for seafood for both the company and the nation as a whole.

The project manager is Ásbjörn Jónsson, a specialist at Matís.

Tomorrow, Thursday 4 September, Matís will receive good guests. It is an 11-member delegation from Hokkaido Island in Japan that comes to Iceland on behalf of METI, but it is an acronym for Ministry of Economics, Trade and Industry. The group will get acquainted with Matís' operations, especially the company's biotechnology division, and the reception will take place in the Biotechnology Division's premises at Gylfaflöt 5, Grafarvogur. There, the various projects that Matís has been working on recently will be introduced, as well as the company will be introduced in a broader context.

In addition to visiting Matís, the group will get to know the activities of MS, both in Reykjavík and Selfoss, as well as visit the Farmers' Association, the Icelandic Export Council and the Japanese Embassy.

The delegation consists of the following:

Mr Mitsuo Izumi, Chief Technical Officer and Factory Director, Hokkaido Milk Product Co., Ltd.
Mr Yoshinori Okada, Senior Managing Director, Obihiro Shinkin Bank.
Mr Takuma Kameda, Associate Plant Manager, NAGANUMA Ice CO., LTD.
Mr Makoto Kawakami, Supervisor Livestock Product Section, Hokkaido Food Processing Research Center
Mr Toshio Sato, CEO, Managing Director, BETSUKAI NYUGYO KOUSYA CO., LTD.
Mr Hideyuki Nagasawa, President, National University Corporation Obihiro University of Agriculture and Verterinary Medicine
Mr Yohsinoru Nagata, Deputy Director General, Hokkaido Food Processing Research Center
Mr Tadashi Nagamura, Senior Assistant Professor, National University Corporation Obihiro University of Agriculture and Verterinary Medicine
Mr Hiroshi Nishino, Director International Exchange Department, Institute for International Studies and Training
Mr Toshihiro Hirahata, Deputy-Director International Affairs Division Industries Department, Hokkaido Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
Mr Kiyoshi Yamaguchi, Director Administration Bureau, National University Corporation
Obihiro University of Agriculture and Verterinary Medicine.

On the 27th of August Matís received a group of 7 people from the Joint Research Center (JRC), but the Joint Research Center - JRC - consists of several research centers funded by the 7th Framework Program and is intended to support the policy-making, development and implementation of EU policies. The reception took place in the premises of the Matís Biotechnology Department, Prokaria, at Gylfaflöt in Grafarvogur.

The group got to know the operations and received an introduction to the company from Sjöfna Sigurgísladóttir, CEO of Matís, and also an introduction to the Department of Biotechnology from Ragnar Jóhannsson, division manager. After the presentations, Ragnar led the group around the building, showed them the laboratories of the Biotechnology Department and told more about the main aspects of the operation. Finally, the group gathered in the company's dining hall and had an informal, but lively chat, as well as enjoying light refreshments.

The group that visited Matís this time included: Elke Anklam, Director General of the EU Health and Consumer Agency, Roger Hurst from the EU Energy Agency, Frank Raes from the EU Environment and Sustainability Agency, and Thomas Barbas from the Organization for the Safety and Protection of Citizens in the EU.

From the 15th to the 17th of September, the 9th International Conference on the Application of Magnetic Resonance in Food Science will be held at the Nordic House in Reykjavík. It is Matís who has problems with her preparation. According to María Guðjónsdóttir, who has had difficulties in preparing for the conference, almost 100 people from all over the world have already announced their participation in the conference.

The conference is the ninth in a series of popular conference series, held every two years. It brings together the leading experts in Magnetic Resonance in food research in the world today, together with participants from the food industry and others. This time the emphasis will be on the use of this technology in fish and meat research and how the technology can be used in food production processes in general.

Although nuclear and electronic research is not new, the technology has only been used in food research to a limited extent in Iceland so far. By holding the conference here in Iceland, an attempt is made to present the great possibilities and advantages that this technology has for Icelandic researchers and the food industry, thus deepening the understanding of the Icelandic food industry and researchers of behavior and the changes that food undergoes in its production processes.

Paper presented at the conference will also be published in the form of scientific articles in a magnificent conference proceedings, which will be distributed to all participants. The publication is published by the Royal Society of Chemistry in the United Kingdom. All posters presented at the conference will also be published on its website after the conference.

It should be noted that the last time the conference was held in Nottingham, England, in July 2006, Mary was invited to give a talk on the project. "Low field NMR study of the state of water at superchilling and freezing temperatures and the effect of salt on freezing processes of water in cod mince”Which she presented on a poster and was chosen as one of the four most interesting posters of the conference.

Further information on the conference agenda and presentations can be found on the conference website www.matis.is/mrinfood2008 Registrations and inquiries are accepted at the e-mail address mrinfood2008@matis.is or in phone 422 5091 (María Guðjónsdóttir).   

The conference is sponsored by Matís ohf., The University of Iceland, the Nordic Marine Academy, Bruker Optics, Stelar, Woodhouse Publishing and the Royal Society of Chemistry in the UK.