Category: News

Fishmeal and fish oil production play an important role in fish processing in Iceland. The processes have changed little in recent decades, but at the same time the global need for protein, in addition to demands for improved utilization of raw materials, increased product quality and reduction of waste materials, has increased rapidly.

A project is currently underway at Matís with the aim of redesigning and the best processes for the production of high-quality proteins for human consumption.

The project is funded by AVS, the fisheries research fund, but Matís' partners in the project are the University of Iceland (UI) and Síldarvinnslan. Project management is at the University of Iceland.

Further information will follow as the project progresses.

Fishmeal and fish oil production has traditionally played a major role in Nordic fish processing. The processes have changed little in recent decades, but at the same time the global need for protein, in addition to demands for improved utilization of raw materials, increased product quality and reduction of waste materials, has increased rapidly.

In light of these changes and the situation that has lasted recently. decade, it is necessary to join hands and breathe life into the production of high quality fishmeal and describe the nutritional benefits obvious from the fact that such products were passed on to feed and food chains.

A project is currently underway to strengthen this production, and the Nordic countries have joined forces to set up a so-called Nordic Quality Council for Fishmeal and Oil. e. Nordic Center of Excellence in Fishmeal and Oil. This will strengthen Nordic co-operation and increase knowledge of the quality characteristics of fishmeal and fish oil.

The intention is to bring Nordic fishmeal production and fish oil to the forefront, thus ensuring the supply of safe and quality fishmeal and fish oil for feed and food production.

Matís employees have become aware of the increased interest in making risk assessments in the context of micro-slaughterhouses, and therefore we would like to explain what risk assessment is.

Risk assessment is an independent scientific analysis of food risk factors. Risk assessment is the basis for economic, political and health-related decisions, including the determination of acceptable risk limits for consumers. 

Risk assessment is a fundamental element of European food law and is used, inter alia, to establish appropriate precautions, educate consumers and food producers, ensure that the necessary research is carried out and support official controls, with the aim of ensuring food quality, safety and hygiene.

Matís and Matvælastofnun have a good collaboration with BfR in Germany, which is one of the world's most respected institutions in the field of risk assessment.

Cod has always been the most valuable species caught within Icelandic jurisdiction. In fact, Icelanders have been at war over cod, but the cod wars were waged with Britain between 1958 and 1976.

A new project is now underway at Matís, which aims to promote the further development of valuable products from cod heads in order to offset the recent market decline in dried cod heads, including the closure of markets. in Nigeria.  

The project will include a detailed mapping of the properties of different parts of the head, taking into account different biological and natural factors as well as processing factors. Develop processes for the isolation of desirable compounds and lay the foundations for further product development of valuable products for human consumption. The results of the project create a basis for purposeful research projects, product development and value creation in the Icelandic marine industry.

The project is a collaborative project of Ísfélag Vestmannaeyjar, HB Grandi, the University of Iceland and Matís and the project received a grant from AVS, a research fund in the fisheries sector. 

In recent years, the laminate industry has undergone a renewed life and now there are more canning factories operating than for many years, so it is important to have good and accessible educational material available for those who work or intend to work there.

Knowledge and communication are an integral part of innovation and added value. The amount of value per kilogram of each piece of information yields is invaluable because it can easily be stated that without knowledge and know-how, no value will be created.

In addition to these statements, the words of the President of Iceland at the opening of the Fisheries Conference 2016, where he said that education, in the classic sense of increasing one's knowledge and skills, is a prerequisite for progress.

Layered products are in many ways technically complex products and therefore need a really good understanding of the importance of the processing components so that there is no danger to consumers. To achieve this long shelf life of laminate products, nothing can go wrong, for example the importance of factors such as the closing of cans, the welding itself, temperature and time, sterilization, preservation and cooling when appropriate, and so on. No discount should be given in the production of these products because small mistakes can have very dramatic consequences.

Domestic small-scale production of various kinds in many parts of the country has increased a lot and more often than not there are products that fall into this category of food that has been called lagmeti, so it is very important to have accessible material in Icelandic about the main aspects of this processing.

The preparation of this handbook on melody is partly funded by AVS, but Matís is financing what is missing. In this context, it is worth noting that Ora hf, Akraborgin ehf and Hraðfrystihúsið Gunnvör contribute to making this manual as useful as possible.

The project manager is Páll Gunnar Pálsson, who has written six manuals and is working on this songbook and others on the effect of herring. Páll Gunnar worked in canning for seven years, so there is some knowledge and experience.

It is invaluable to have Einar Þór Lárusson, an expert at ORA, be involved in this project to share his vast experience and knowledge. But Einar Lár has worked in lagmetis and fish processing companies for decades in production, but last but not least in various product development and innovation projects.

The goal is for the book to be published around or from the beginning of next year.

Grand Hotel, Thursday 25 October at 12-16: 30. | The governing charter of the current government emphasizes that Iceland is a leader in the production of wholesome agricultural products and will ensure the continued competitiveness of the fisheries sector. It says that there are opportunities based on an interest in food culture with sustainability and quality in mind. All of the country's organic resources, the bioeconomy, need to be further developed and innovation and product development promoted to increase the value of products and regional stability.

In order for this to be possible, it is important that a future policy on Icelandic food is formulated.

What is a food policy and for whom is it?

Food policy does not only cover the wholesomeness or safety of food, but food policy can cover all the things that the parties concerned consider important when it comes to food production and consumption. For example, it may be important for the health and well-being of Icelanders that views on sugar tax are reflected in food policy, it is important for competition or for Icelandic food security that limited imports of certain foods to the country and important for parties importing goods to Iceland from countries acceding to the EEA Agreement that it will be demonstrated by risk assessment that such imports shall not be permitted, otherwise the import is considered permissible.

Why should we set a policy on these issues? And what perspectives should be included in the policy? Do we need to pursue such a policy? Why? Should we take into account all points of view, try to make all the compromises, in the construction? Or should we see a bigger picture and use, for example, the United Nations Global Goals when laying down the lines for food policy?

Find out more!

Come to MNÍ Food Day on October 25. and get acquainted with different views on food policy for Iceland.

Registration: www.mni.is

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Agenda

12:00 - 13:00
Registration and delivery of data

13:00 - 13:30
Moderator | Hrönn Ólína Jörundsdóttir, Matís.
Sentence / Address | The Prime Minister, Katrín Jakobsdóttir.
Delivery of Fjöreggsinn | Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir, Confederation of Icelandic Industries.

13:30 - 13:45
Olivier de Schutter, Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems before UN. In accordance with sustainable behavior, Dr. Shutter addresses the day with the help of teleconferencing equipment.

13:45 - 13:55
Can we pursue food policy without sustainability thinking? | Kristín Vala Ragnarsdóttir, University of Iceland.

13:55 - 14:05
Who is food policy for? | Jóna Björg Hlöðversdóttir, Association of Young Farmers.

14:05 - 14:15
Do importers' views fit into Iceland's food policy? | Magnús Óli Ólafsson, Innnes.

14:15 - 14:25
Food policy: common elements | Kristján Þórarinsson, Association of companies in the fisheries sector. 

14:25 - 14:35
Incentives for increased raw material utilization | Ari Edwald, Mjólkursamsalan

14:35 - 14:50
Coffee

14:50 - 15:00
Sustainable agriculture? The World Goals? What can the Agricultural University of Iceland do? | Sæmundur Sveinsson, LHBÍ.

15:00 - 15:10
Food policy in the context of the bioeconomy; West Nordic Bioeconomy Panel | Arnljótur Bjarki Bergsson, Matís.

15:10 - 15:20
Consumer choices and their responsibility towards the environment Axel Helgason, National Association of Small Boat Owners.

15:20 - 15:30
Food policy - Policy towards food enjoyment and improved public health | Bryndís Eva Birgisdóttir, Laboratory of Nutrition.

15:30 - 15:40
United Nations Global Goals and Sustainable Development Harpa Júlíusdóttir, United Nations in Iceland.

15:40 - 16:10
Panel discussion.

16:10 - 16:20
Summary | Hrönn Ólína Jörundsdóttir, Matís.

Matís is currently working on various projects aimed at increasing value creation in the production of agricultural products. Among other things, Matís has collaborated with farmers on micro-slaughter, but on 25 September. 10 lambs were slaughtered on the farm Birkihlíð, in collaboration with Matís. The results are being processed and will be published when they are available. Time measurements carried out during the slaughter indicate that the possibilities for farmers to create added value through micro-slaughter are significant.

Safe foods are essential

A fundamental element of European food law (178/2002) is the responsibility of the food producer not to market an unsafe product (Article 17). Risk assessment is then used to assess food safety and control requirements, and there are various exemptions within European food law from the principles of control, if there are valid reasons for this in terms of risk assessment.

Scientific assessment of microbiological risk is the basis of a good risk assessment for fresh meat products. Results from measurements of the microbiological condition of the meat that was slaughtered show that Birkihlíð shows that farmers can certainly do a good slaughter, but all carcasses were measured well under the criteria that apply to slaughterhouses.

Matís' proposal for a micro-slaughter arrangement.

See more here.

You can also visit the website The food landscape here, where you can, for example, view information about the 10 lamb carcasses that were slaughtered in Birkhlíð by entering the farmers' market on the site.

Matís continues with a project aimed at setting up smokehouses throughout Africa. The purpose of this project is to ensure a healthier environment for smoking seafood as well as to promote better utilization of the raw material. This time it is built in Sierra Leone and in Liberia.

Various challenges have arisen and, for example, a solid foundation had to be built under one hut in Sierra Leone where the subsoil was such that it would eventually give way if it had not been reinforced.

Margeir Gissurarson has problems with the project and has just returned home after going to Liberia on the same mission immediately after his work in Sierra Leone.

The project is a collaborative project of the United Nations University School of Fisheries (UNU-FTP), The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and addresses the World Bank's mission in this area. 

Elin Stenberg, PhD student at the Institute for Animal Environment and Health at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Skara, will be at Matís for the next six weeks, where she will work with Matís staff and the University of Iceland on research into the effects of slaughtering methods and freezing on lamb quality in Iceland. 

Elin will be involved in all activities; slaughter, measurements and sampling in slaughterhouses, sensory assessment, texture measurements, NMR measurements, statistical results, reporting and articles. In this way, the collaboration with Matís / HÍ and the work in Iceland will be useful and become part of her doctoral project.

Elín's doctoral project is part of Interreg Öresund, Kattegat, Skagerak (European Regional Development Fund), a project funded by 120 million and aimed at better describing the quality of beef and lamb to strengthen its position in competition with imports and other foods on the market. . Elín's travels and stays are funded by the Nordic Network of Meat Science, in which Guðjón Þorkelsson and María Guðjónsdóttir participate (and are funded by NKJ, Nordic Joint Committee for Agricultural and Food Research).

There is a great benefit from this collaboration for meat research in Iceland: 

• The collaboration supports research on meat in Iceland for the benefit of producers, processing and consumers.
• Access to expertise and measuring equipment that is lacking in Iceland.
• Training of new professionals in the field.
• Easier access to international collaborations to promote and fund research.

Detailed information about Elina and her research project:

• https://resurs.slu.se/valmaende-djur-och-bra-kott/
• https://interreg-oks.eu/projektbank/projekt/efterfragedriveninnovationforhogrekvalitetpanotochlammkott.5.4cbfacee1552393503eaf27.html

On Wednesday 3 October, Huong Thi Thu Dang will defend his doctoral dissertation in food science at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition, University of Iceland. The thesis is entitled: Increasing the quality of frozen fish products by improving processing and storage (e. Enhancing the quality of frozen fish products through improved processing and storage).

Opponents are dr. Ragnar Ludvig Olsen Norwegian College of Fishery Science, University of Tromsø, Norway and dr. Santiago Aubourg Professor at CSIC in Spain.

Supervising teachers and supervisors were dr. Sigurjón Arason Professor at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition, University of Iceland and Chief Engineer at Matís and dr. María Guðjónsdóttir Professor at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition, University of Iceland. In addition to them, the doctoral committee included dr. Tumi Tómasson, director of the Marine Research Institute, dr. Magnea G. Karlsdóttir, Matís and dr. Minh Van Nguyen Associate Professor at Nha Trang University, Vietnam.

Dr. Bryndís Eva Birgisdóttir, professor at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition at the University of Iceland, will chair the ceremony, which will take place in the Celebration Hall of the University of Iceland and will begin at 14:00.

Summary of study

Freezing and cold storage is an effective method of maintaining quality and extending the shelf life of seafood. The production of frozen products equalizes the supply of seafood when fishing and slaughtering farmed fish is seasonal. The condition of raw materials, processing methods and conditions of storage and transport can affect the quality and stability of frozen products. The aim of the study was therefore to gain a deeper understanding of the physical changes in the fillets of three fish species during long-term storage in the freezer, and to investigate which factors affect their quality.

Redfish (Sebastes marinus) was caught southwest of Iceland in June and November 2015, filleted and frozen on days 4 and 9 after fishing, and stored at -25 ° C for up to 20 months. The effects of seasonal changes and the effects of freshness on processing on the stability of frozen redfish fillets were studied. Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) was caught in the west of Iceland in November 2014 and processed on the one hand before mortality and on the other after mortality. The effect of these variables on the stability of herring products in cold storage at -25 ° C for 5 months was investigated. Pangasus (Pangasius hypophthalmus) from aquaculture was filleted in Vietnam and the effects of additives (a mixture of sodium phosphate, sodium chloride and citric acid) and product stability packaging were studied at -18.6 ± 0.2 ° C for up to 12 months.

The study showed that it is important for the fishing industry to ensure uniform and correct temperature control when products are stored in the freezer. Redfish caught in November, outside the spawning season, must be handled with care to ensure the correct quality of frozen products. Finishing and processing of fish should take place as soon as possible after fishing. However, if the fish is handled correctly, the fishing trip and time before processing can be extended. The use of additives in the processing of frozen pangasius fillets and packaging in vacuum-packed packaging ensures their quality. By using a skin peeling machine that removes the dark muscle (skin cutting), the shelf life of frozen fish fillets can also be significantly extended. However, dark muscle oil can be extracted to ensure efficient utilization of the raw material.

Password: Redfish, herring, pangasius, seasonal fluctuations, fresh ingredients, death starch, additives, packaging, cold storage, temperature fluctuations, physical and chemical properties.

Abstract

Freezing and subsequent frozen storage is an effective preservation method to maintain quality and extend shelf life of fish and fish products. Quality and storage stability of frozen fish products can be affected by the state of the raw material, processing methods, and conditions during storage and transport. The aim of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the physicochemical changes in fish fillets during long-term frozen storage as affected by the initial raw material quality, processing and storage conditions, and how these changes affect product quality.

Golden redfish (Sebastes marinus) were caught in June and November 2015, processed and frozen on day 4 and day 9 post-catch and stored at -25 ° C for up to 20 months. The effect of seasonal variation and material freshness on the quality and stability of the fish fillets during frozen storage was investigated. Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) caught in November 2014 were used to compare the effect of pre-and post-rigor freezing and storage conditions (stress and stability at -25 ° C for 5 months) on the quality and stability of frozen fish fillets. Effects of commercial processing additives (mixture of sodium phosphates, sodium chloride, and citric acid), packaging (vacuum and air packaging), and storage conditions (industrial frozen storage and controlled storage at -18.6 ± 0.2 ° C) for up to 12 months on the quality and stability of fish fillets during frozen storage were studied in Tra catfish (Pangasius hypophthalmus).

The study demonstrated that it is crucial to the fishing industry to ensure uniform and correct temperature control in their frozen storage facilities. Redfish caught in November outside the spawning season need to be handled with special care to maintain quality stability during frozen storage. Treatment with additives combined with vacuum packaging are effective in protecting the quality of frozen pangasius.

Keywords: Golden redfish, Atlantic herring, Tra catfish / pangasius, season of capture, raw material freshness, pre-rigor, post rigor, additives, packaging, frozen storage, temperature stress, physicochemical properties.

About the doctoral dissertation

Huong Thi Thu Dang was born in 1977. She completed her BSc degrees and MSc in Aquatic Processing Technology in 2000 and 2004, respectively from Nha Trang University (formerly the University of Fisheries), Vietnam. In 2013, she attended the six months training course in Quality Management of Fish Handling and Processing that was hosted by the United Nations University - Fisheries Training Program (UNU-FTP), Iceland. In 2014, she received a PhD scholarship granted by the UNU-FTP and began her PhD studies in Food Science at the Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Iceland, Iceland from January 2015. Since 2000, she has been working as a lecturer and researcher at the Faculty of Food Technology, Nha Trang University, Viet Nam. Huong is now living in Nha Trang, Vietnam with her husband Luong Duc Nam and their daughter Luong Dang Ngoc Minh and their son Luong Duc Binh.