Category: News

Trans fatty acids in food in Iceland have decreased in recent years, according to an interview by Fréttastofa Stöðvar 2 with Ólafur Reykdal, project manager at Matís. "Individual measurements have been made, but few in recent years, they show that in certain products, the amount of trans fatty acids has decreased," said Ólafur in a conversation with Stöð 2.

Trans fatty acids are so-called hardened fats and are highly undesirable, but their consumption raises blood cholesterol and thus increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Ólafur still says something about trans fatty acids in food. But they can be in processed foods such as margarine and biscuits and products that have been deep-fried such as french fries. Ólafur encourages people to look at the product descriptions of products.

Ólafur Reykdal: "If it is stated in the description of the ingredients that hardened fat has been used, then there is trans fatty acid, which is hydrogenated."

A new assessment of trans fatty acids in food in Iceland is to be carried out, according to a news item on Station 2.

University students showed great interest in Matís' booth at Framadögur, which took place in Háskólabíó on 1 February. At Framadögur, Matís presented its activities and invited students to work on projects or explore possibilities for summer work.

Many people were interested in working on projects for Matís and there were also many who wanted to apply for a summer job.

Work is now underway to map out how best to conduct fishing with regard to processing. How to maximize the yield of both fishing and fish processing by using information on the quality of fish by fishing area and season and directing the effort accordingly. This results in better raw materials for processing, which in turn leads to more profitable processing and better and more expensive products. It does not matter at all where and when the fish is caught, says Morgunblaðið about Sveinn Margeirsson's doctoral project.

The aim of the project (Processing of cod catches) by Sveinn, who is department manager at Matís, was to collect data on cod fishing and processing by four Icelandic fisheries companies, analyze them statistically and set up improvement models to facilitate fishing management and processing of cod in Iceland. article by journalist Hjartur Gíslason in Morgunblaðið. "Data on fillet utilization, release and roundworms in cod were collected from 2002 to 2006. All of these variables have a significant impact on profits from cod fishing and processing.

Significant differences in fillet utilization by region

The results of the project indicate that the yield of the value chain of cod can be increased by catching the cod in certain fishing areas and at certain times of the year, but the results showed that fillet utilization, release and roundworms in cod depend on fishing location and season, "says an article in Morgunblaðið. Sveinn says in the article that the results are in fact that there is a considerable difference in fillet utilization by region and time of year.

"There was a direct relationship between the release of the fish and the age of the raw material, as well as the time at which the fish was caught. There was also a connection between worms in the fish and its size, and the number of worms also depended somewhat on where the fish was caught. The next step was to base an action analysis or improvement model on all of this information. It took these results, worked them out and put them in the context of oil prices, distance to the fishing grounds and more in that major. In this way, it was possible to get an assessment of where it would be most cost-effective to fetch the fish. "

The full interview can be read in Morgunblaðið on Wednesday 30 January 2008.

Matís will present his activities and projects at the Future Days at Háskólabíó next Friday, the first of February. The aim of Framadögur is to increase communication between the business community and the educational community and to introduce university students to the many opportunities inherent in their studies.

The program starts at 11:00 and ends at 17:00.

You can get more information about what Matís does in the Future Days here.

Matvælarannsóknir Íslands (Matís) has entered into a collaboration agreement with the innovation company Bitland Enterprises (BE), which makes it possible for Matís to offer its services and advice in more places in Northern Europe than before. These include collaboration with companies in the food industry and collaborative projects through research funds in Europe.

Matís has emphasized offering its advice and services in the food industry beyond Iceland, and the aim of the agreement is to make it easier for the company to achieve its goals. Matís has already taken the first step in that direction in collaboration with the Norwegian research company SINTEF at the end of last year. It is hoped that the agreement with BE will increase Matís' potential in more areas. BE, based in Denmark and the Faroe Islands, has many years of experience in project management and through funds and in collaboration with companies in various industries, and Matís will focus on offering BE's services in Iceland.

"The goal is first and foremost to offer food companies in Iceland, the Faroe Islands and other countries more solid knowledge for continued development in the food industry. We also focus on facilitating Matís and BE's participation in innovation projects, especially through international projects, ”says Sjöfn Sigurgísladóttir, CEO of Matís.

The dried fish producer Gullfiskur used an innovative flavor in an advertisement in the media when the company referred to Matís' report on the health of dried fish. The ad, which is called Protein Bomb, says that according to a new report from Matís, dried fish is even healthier than previously thought.

Matís' report, published in mid-2007, states that dried fish is a very healthy food, light, nutritious and rich in protein. It states that dried fish is a rich source of protein with an 80-85% protein content.

It has become increasingly clear that fish protein is important in terms of hygiene. For example, fresh haddock has a 17-19% protein content, while haddock dried fish has a 75-80% protein content. It is estimated that a healthy adult needs 0.75 g of protein per kg of body weight. Therefore, a man weighing 70 kg needs 53 g of protein per day. To get this amount from dried fish, he needs to eat over 66 g. A woman weighing 55 kg needs 41 g of protein a day, or 51 g of dried fish.

Dried fish is therefore suitable for those who seek to get additional protein from their diet, such as for people who do mountaineering or sports and fitness. Furthermore, it has been found that the salt content is somewhat higher in dried fish that is dried indoors than fish that is dried outdoors. However, the salt content of the product can be controlled and it is therefore easy to control such use. Trace elements (elements) are well within the recommended daily allowance, except selenium. The amount of selenium in 100 g is three times the recommended daily dose but is not considered harmful in any way.

You can read Matís' report on the health of dried fish here.

Gullfisk's advertisement is here.

Sveinn Margeirsson, head of department at Matís, defended his doctoral thesis at the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Iceland on Friday, 18 January. The project, called the Cod Processing Forecast, deals with how to maximize fish yields.

The aim of the project was to collect data on cod fishing and processing by four Icelandic fisheries companies, analyze them statistically and set up optimization models to facilitate the management of fishing and processing of cod in Icelandic waters. Data on fillet utilization, release and roundworms in cod were collected from 2002 to 2006. All of these variables have a significant impact on profits from cod fishing and processing.

The results of the project indicate that the yield of the value chain of cod can be increased by catching the cod in certain fishing areas and at a certain time of year, but the results showed that fillet utilization, release and roundworms in cod depend on fishing location and season.

Partners in Sveinn's doctoral project were: Samherji, Fisk Seafood, Vísir and Guðmundur Runólfsson hf. Grundarfjörður.

NMKL (Nordisk Metodikkomité for Næringsmidler) is now waiting for a course in sensory evaluation of drinking water at Matís at Skúlagata on 12 February. The course is based on a new and recognized sensory assessment method from the Nordic Committee for Food Analysis (NMKL). The method is one of the first sensory evaluation methods that has been verified between laboratories and gives objective and repeatable results when performed correctly. Until now, sensory evaluation of water has not been harmonized between laboratories.

Participants: Staff of institutions or companies that have a need for simple, quick and objective sensory evaluation of drinking water, such as staff of water utilities, health representatives and more.

Course content: The course covers practical theories of sensory evaluation, a detailed review of the sensory evaluation method and sensory evaluation analysis of drinking water. The course is based on two methods: NMKL method no. 183, 2005: Sensory quality control test of drinking water and NMKL procedure no. 11,2002: Sensory assessment of drinking water.

Place and time: February 12, 2008 Matís, Skúlagata 4, Reykjavik.

The course will be held in ENGLISH by Steffen Solem, Eurofins -Norsk Matanalyse.

Further information about the course.

You can view the ad here.

Matís is advertising for a product development specialist at the Höfn office, which is intended to promote food tourism in the Southeast. It is desirable that the employee in question lives in the area.

Area of work
Work to strengthen food tourism nationwide with an emphasis on the Southeast as well as other product development projects. It is desirable that the employee in question lives in the area.

The job includes e.g.
• Develop local food ideas. • Work with food tourism partners in the Southeast. • Promote projects related to the economy in the area. • Design and development of processing processes.

Qualification requirements
University education in food engineering, engineering, biology or fisheries science. Experience in product development is an advantage.

For further information, please contact: ingibjorg.s.sigurdardottir@matis.is

The Mozambique Fisheries Surveillance Authority can now ensure safe drinking water for the inhabitants of three cities and strengthen quality control in food production following Matís' course in microbiological measurements in that country.

Two Matís employees, Franklín Georgsson and Margrét Geirsdóttir, held courses in the cities of Maputo, Beira and Quelimane under the auspices of the Icelandic International Development Agency (ICEIDA) at the end of last year to train experts and staff of the institute's microbiological measurements on water. As a result, it will be possible to offer reliable quality and safety measurements of water for food production, in addition to ensuring a safe drinking water for the number of inhabitants.

In recent years, the Icelandic Development Cooperation Agency has supported the government of Mozambique in the development of official quality control in the fisheries sector, and the laboratories and the training of their employees are part of that cooperation.

More about Matís' food safety division.