Category: News

One of the projects that is being worked on in Matís' Processing and Product Development Division is called Refrigeration. Its aim is to promote the implementation of best knowledge and procedures for refrigeration and process control for fish products to ensure quality properties, traceability and safety of raw materials and products, and to promote the utilization of this information for Icelandic producers in their markets.

It is known that rapid and safe cooling of marine catches maintains better quality, prolongs shelf life and thereby increases the value of marine products. In recent decades, increasing attention has been paid to liquid and pumpable ice media, which are commonly referred to as slush or liquid ice. It is a mixture of liquid (water, salt water or sea) and ice crystals with a particle size of approx. 0.005 - 1 mm. Due to the salt content, the freezing point of sludge and liquid ice is lower than 0 ° C, which contributes to faster cooling than with conventional flake ice, as has often been shown experimentally.

In the project, comparative experiments were performed on cooling rate and cooling capacity (how well the refrigerant maintains cooling) of different types of pumpable ice media and flake ice. The different refrigerants used in the experiments were as follows: uncooked flake ice, crushed flake ice, liquid ice from Optimar ("Optim-Ice"), slush ice from Skagan ("Flow-Ice"), liquid ice from Crytec ("Bubble Slurry Ice") ) and saline. The ambient temperature was closely monitored and therefore controlled in the experiments to minimize its potential impact. The development of the temperature of saithe in both refrigeration and storage was monitored, in addition to which a cylinder of agar nutrient was cooled in different ice media. 

The main results of the experiments are that the temperature of the refrigerant is most important for the cooling rate. The importance of even distribution of the refrigerant was abundantly clear, but the particle size of liquid / slush ice is not as important a property. Based on the temperature measurements made in the project, flake ice seems to be more suitable than liquid ice for storing fish, provided that the storage is longer than approx. 3 days. 

Graph showing different cooling rates (pdf file)

The project was funded by the Rannís Technology Development Fund and AVS.

Work has been done to improve equipment at Matís in Ísafjörður. In the Westfjords, great emphasis is placed on aquaculture, especially cod farming in the sea, where Matís pursues a strong research and development team in good collaboration with companies in the area.

Matís aims to become a leader in the field of environmental research in connection with aquaculture, as it is necessary to monitor the impact on the environment caused by aquaculture. Equipment is currently being used at Matís in Ísafjörður to film underwater films.

It is known that farmed fish do not use all the feed given to them and they accumulate on the seabed and can cause pollution. Cod spawning is also known to occur in sea cages, so fertilized eggs are likely to be released into the environment, although negative genetic mixing has not yet been demonstrated. Preventing spawning in aquaculture pens would therefore be a very important step towards making farming an environmentally friendly industry with improved feed utilization, which means that less feed falls to the bottom under pens.

The equipment makes it possible to closely monitor the interaction, behavior of fish and the environment in Matís' aquaculture experiments in Álftafjörður. The images can be viewed on a computer from a distance. The equipment also opens up new possibilities such as monitoring side farms such as mussel farming in the vicinity of the fish farms.

The equipment was purchased in collaboration with the Marine Research Institute on the one hand and Álfsfell ehf on the other, which is a company in cod farming. Rannís provided funding for the purchase.

The picture shows Dr. Þorleif Ágústsson, project manager at Matís in Ísafjörður, with the underwater camera.

As was reported here last week, Matís and Matvælastofnun (MAST) held a joint event at Hotel Hilton Nordica th. April 16.
Many interesting lectures were given and now the slides from all of them are accessible here on Matís' website.

AGENDA:

Address by Einar K. Guðfinnsson, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture

Sjöfn Sigurgísladóttir, CEO of Matís. - Speech

Jón Gíslason, CEO of MAST. - Speech

Alisdair Wotherspoon, Food Standards Agency (FSA), UK. Food Safety - Global trade and new challanges in Food Safety.

Franklin Georgsson, Matís. Food diseases in Iceland - development in Iceland, main dangers and comparisons with other nations.

Jón Gíslason, MAST. Implementation of comprehensive EU food legislation - translation for Iceland and food security.

Rúnar Gíslason, Kokkarnir ehf. - Large kitchen - security for cooking and service at large parties.

Friðrik Valur Karlsson, Friðrik V. - Origin of raw materials in restaurants.

Guðmundur Heiðar Gunnarsson, Matís. - Local food production - opportunities and threats.

Reynir Eiríksson, Norðlenska. - Importance of traceability for food safety.

Davíð Gíslason, allergist. - Food allergies and food intolerances.

Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir, Matís. - Icelandic environment and foreign matter.

On Saturday 19 April, a seminar on food-related tourism was held in Ísafjörður. The aim of the seminar was to discuss ways to develop food tourism in the Westfjords, which results in an increased number of tourists to the area and the use of local ingredients.

The aim of the symposium was also to gather people interested in this issue from the quarter and get them to start collaborating. Jón Gunnar Schram from Matís in Ísafjörður took the initiative for the seminar, but in addition Ásgerður Þorleifsdóttir from Atvinnuþróunarfélag Vestfjarði worked on the preparation, together with Jóna Símonía Bjarnadóttir, Heimi Hansson and Finnbogi Bernódusson on the preparation committee.

Participants came from all over the Westfjords. Informative presentations were made about the experience from other parts of the country and about the situation in the Westfjords. Matís employees gave three presentations: Þóra Valsdóttir discussed the development of products from local ingredients and food design and Ólafur Reykdal explained the chemical content and uniqueness of Westfjords food.

The meeting was held in Edinburgh House, which is the largest wooden house in the country, but it has been renovated in a fun way.

The picture shows Soffía Gústafsdóttir giving a talk on Westfjords delicatessen sites.

Crowds were at the conference Food, safety and health, a joint conference of Matís and Matvælastofnun (MAST), which took place at the Hilton Nordica Hotel today, 16 April. It is estimated that around 200 people attended the conference at its peak.

So many people attended the conference that many had to wait for a coffee break, but then seats could be added. Many good speakers gave presentations at the conference, and hopefully it will be possible to view slides from them here in the near future. In the meantime, it will suffice to publish some photos of conference guests. 

Milk and soy proteins have long been used successfully in the food industry. There is a growing market for protein, with a worldwide turnover of billions of dollars. The most common proteins used in the food industry are processed from both animal and plant kingdoms. It has long been known that quality proteins are found in fish, but for various reasons it has proved more difficult to use them as additives in food than the aforementioned proteins. Matís' new research may change that.

Soy protein is the most common plant protein today and whey protein the most common animal protein. Casein, gelatin and dried egg whites follow. Despite indications of various excellent processing properties of fish proteins, methods of isolation and purification are less advanced than for vegetable and milk proteins. The fish proteins can therefore not yet compete with the aforementioned proteins as excipients in prepared foods.

Matís research
New technology, developed by Matís, has made it possible to isolate and clean fish proteins from cuts made during traditional fillet processing. The protein can then be used to improve utilization in fillet processing and also in ready-made products such as fish balls and deep-fried fish. There is also a growing market for products processed with enzymes, microfiltration and other technologies. This market is based on various healthy properties of fish proteins and products made from them.

In 2005, the Fisheries Research Institute (IFL) founded the company Iceprótein ehf to produce and sell fish protein products for use in both traditional fish processing and health products. The project 'Fish Protein Markets'  which began that year was a joint project of IFL (now Matís) and Iceprótein ehf. The aim was to map the market and examine products with fish proteins and materials processed from them to lay the foundation for the company's strategy, structure and market connections. 

Matís' final report on the project was recently published (Matís report 07-08), which begins with a general assessment of proteins in the food market, ie. different types of proteins and their market share. Then the main products with fish proteins are explained, i.e. fishmeal, fish protein concentrate, surimi, isolati, fish digestion, fish sauce, flavors, gelatin, dietary supplements and their health-related properties.

The authors of the report say that despite indications of various excellent processing properties of fish proteins, methods of isolation and purification are less advanced than for vegetable and milk proteins. The fish proteins can therefore not yet compete with them as excipients in prepared foods.

Fish protein against obesity?
However, there is a good chance that more dietary supplements from hydrolyzed fish proteins (VFPs) can be developed, for example to reduce blood pressure or to increase the body's protection against stress. It is believed that certain protein products can even be used to control appetite in the fight against obesity. In addition, there are products on the market to lower the glycemic index.

The market for such fish protein products is not large but is expected to grow in the coming years, in addition to which there are opportunities to use traditional production methods, such as fermentation, to enhance the bioactivity properties of VFP and use them in products already known to consumers. Thus, it is very likely that low-salt fish sauces and fish flavors with specially designed bioactive properties will be available in the future. However, this is partly due to the fact that the health claims are accepted. This requires extensive and costly research that both public bodies and companies need to fund.

Food, safety and health, is the title of a joint conference organized by Matís and Matvælastofnun (MAST), which will take place at the Hilton Nordica Hotel on 16 April. why food traceability is becoming increasingly important, what local food production entails, what are the main risks associated with foodborne illness and what the new EU food legislation means for Iceland.

AGENDA:

13:00 Einar K. Guðfinnsson, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, opens the conference

13:15 Sjöfn Sigurgísladóttir, CEO of Matís. - Speech

13:25 Jón Gíslason, CEO of MAST. - Speech

First part:

13:35 Alisdair Wotherspoon, Food Standards Agency (FSA), UK. Food Safety - Global trade and new challanges in Food Safety.

14:05 Franklin Georgsson, Matís. Food diseases in Iceland - development in Iceland, main dangers and comparisons with other nations.

14:20 Jón Gíslason, MAST. Implementation of comprehensive EU food legislation - translation for Iceland and food security.

14:35 Break - presentation of stalls.

Second Part:

15:05 Rúnar Gíslason, Kokkarnir ehf. - Large kitchen - security for cooking and service at large parties.

15:20 Friðrik Valur Karlsson, Friðrik V. - Origin of raw materials in restaurants.

15:35 Guðmundur Heiðar Gunnarsson, Matís. - Local food production - opportunities and threats.

15:50 Reynir Eiríksson, Norðlenska. - Importance of traceability for food safety.

16:05 Davíð Gíslason, allergist. - Food allergies and food intolerances.

16:20 Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir, Matís. - Icelandic environment and foreign matter.

16:35 Summary and conclusion of the conference.

16:45 Reception and presentation in booths:

• Booth 1 Matfugl ehf. Presentation - quality control in chicken production, especially with regard to the safety of the production. Introduction to chicken dishes.
• Base 2 MS. Presentation - internal control system in the dairy industry and the safety of dairy products. Introduction to products.
• Booth 3 Gardeners' Sales Association. Presentation - quality and safety requirements for vegetables.
• Booth 4 Matís. Rapid measurements at Matís
• Booth 5 Matís. Matís service and safety measurements
• Booth 6 Matvælastofnun. General presentation of MAST's activities

1.4.2008

Matís' report has been published, which contains the results of the project Blue whiting as a target food which the Fisheries Research Institute (now Matís) worked on in collaboration with the University of Iceland and the University of Florida. The project, which was funded by Rannís, investigated whether quality proteins can be extracted from fish, which can be used in the same way in the food industry as milk and soy proteins.

Milk and soy proteins have wide uses in the food industry and have long been used successfully. It is known that fish contains quality proteins and it is therefore interesting to investigate whether fish proteins have comparable properties to the aforementioned proteins. The project focused on the processing of protein from blue whiting, which until now has mainly been melted in fishmeal. The purpose is to multiply the value of the underutilized products.

The aim of the project was to answer the research question: What bioactivity can be obtained from peptides extracted from blue whiting with enzymes? Bioactivity is a prerequisite for the use of blue whiting as a target food. Isolated blue whiting proteins were used as raw materials. The study showed that degraded blue whiting proteins have bioactivity. However, the sensory properties of products did not prove to be good enough and yields were low. This was especially so due to the difficulty of obtaining fresh blue whiting as a raw material.

Margrétar Geirsdóttir, an expert at Matís Biotechnology, and another author of the report says that the project has acquired a great deal of knowledge in the field of enzyme degradation and bioactivity properties of protein products and that this knowledge will be useful to Icelandic industry and scientists in future research in proteins, enzymes and bioactivity. the value of Icelandic products. She points out, among other things, that this is an international novelty, i.e. that in the project, the interaction of hydrolysis with enzymes and processing properties and bioactivity was investigated and the interaction of hydrolysis of fish proteins isolated with a new method and their bioactivity was investigated. This, has not been done before, and therefore this is an innovation, according to Margrét.

Matís report Blue whiting as a target food

On March 27 last. A co-operation agreement on the implementation of tests and safety services was signed by Matís for the Food Administration.

The main purpose of the agreement is, on the one hand, to ensure the Food Administration's access to the laboratory's security services, which will be given priority in the event of foodborne illness. On the other hand, the agreement should ensure, as far as possible, that Matvælastofnun can fulfill its legal role of supervising food or supervising other parties, in order to ensure the safety and quality of food.

Sjöfn Sigurgísladóttir, CEO of Matís, and Jón Gíslason, CEO of Matvælastofnun, signed the agreement.

Matís is currently running a preliminary project on enzyme treatment of the liver before canning in collaboration with the canning factory Ice-W ehf in Grindavík. The aim of the project is to increase the profitability of canning of liver by lowering production costs and increasing the quality of products.

This will be achieved by developing and testing technology that removes membranes and ringworms on the surface of the liver with enzymes. Preliminary results are promising.

Most people who have worked in fish processing know that fish carry parasites and the best known of these are ringworms, which is a collective name for nematodes (Nematoda) in fish. They are fishing in Icelandic waters and are a problem for the fish processing industry, because they need to be cleaned of fillets. Such fish fall in price due to defects caused by cleaning and fillet utilization decreases. Ringworms also cause damage to markets, which are less sensitive to ringworms. A few years ago, it was estimated that the cost of deworming 200,000 tonnes of cod was ISK 650 million. kr.

As previously stated, the first results of the project, which is funded by the Rannís Technology Development Fund, are promising, as the number of ringworms in the liver has been reduced by 80%, and the membrane has been significantly softened. The purpose of removing or softening the membrane surrounding the liver is to provide a better and more even dose in cans and increase utilization, as well as the resulting optimization of the processing process.

It is hoped that this method will significantly increase the efficiency of this process. An application has been made for continued funding to work further on this issue.