In Iceland, chicken feathers have so far been landfilled, but it is necessary to establish the utilization of this raw material, as the national plan for waste treatment assumes that landfilling of organic waste will be reduced to 35% of the total volume on 1 July 2020.
It is known abroad to recycle chicken feathers into protein flour by various methods, but the knowledge has not been transferred to domestic production, so now the intention is to process protein-rich flour that is suitable for making feed from Icelandic chicken feathers. Experiments will be made on the processing of chicken feathers, in collaboration with Reykjagarður, where the protein will be broken down into smaller units. Feather meal can be used in feed for pigs, fur animals, pets and fish.
The aim of the project is to turn an underutilized product (raw material that costs money into landfilling) into valuable, protein-rich flour that is used in feed production, to reduce the environmental impact of Icelandic industry and increase utilization in chicken production. The project is also an effort to meet the goals of the national plan, which aims to significantly reduce the landfill of organic waste by 2020. It can be estimated that around and over 2000 tonnes of chicken feathers are landfilled annually in Iceland. No efficient processing channels for feathers have been developed so far, but the project will lay the foundation for the efficient utilization of local raw materials in Iceland to reduce the environmental impact of Icelandic food production.
The Icelandic Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers was in the years 2014-2016 and the program was named The Nordic Bioeconomy Initiative, or NordBio. As a result, a project was launched, "Innovation small producers - Nordbio"Where the main emphasis was on following up and further supporting small producers following innovation projects carried out under the NordBio presidency program. A report from that project can be found at Matís website .
The main objective of the innovation projects for small producers was to have a direct economic impact through innovation and value creation in the Nordic bioeconomy, thus strengthening regional economic growth. Work was done on 17 innovation projects.
The experience of the projects was that knowledge and training are necessary for ideas to come true and to enable producers to meet all food safety requirements.
The Nordbio innovation projects have shown that the use of some kind of "innovation credit" can be an effective way of encouraging innovation, knowledge transfer and technology to increase the value of living resources. It has been shown that there is a great need to offer this type of grant to small producers and entrepreneurs in order to stimulate innovation and unleash the power of imagination.
It would be a great incentive to establish a fund that can contribute to innovation in the spirit of the Nordbio projects, especially in light of the opportunities that now lie hidden in the increase in the number of tourists making their way to Iceland.
Elísa Viðarsdóttir will give an open lecture at Matís, Vínlandsleið 12, room 312 on Tuesday 10 April at 15.45. Her project is called:
The golden head. Physical and chemical properties of cod heads. "The Golden head. Effect of size and season of catch on physicochemical properties of cod heads“.
Elísa's supervisors are Sigurjón Arason and Magnea Guðrún Karlsdóttir from Matís and María Guðjónsdóttir from the University of Iceland.
Catches of cod are in significant quantities and began early in Iceland, and cod has been one of the most important fish species in Iceland. The utilization of cod is good compared to many other species. The utilization of heads, especially for trawlers, has not been good enough, however, because the majority of freezer trawlers have not been able to bring their heads ashore due to lack of space and lack of equipment.
The aim of the project was primarily to promote further development and utilization of valuable products made from cod heads (Gadus morhua) to meet requests for new products in response to the volatile market for dried cod heads. The first step towards further development and value creation was to create an important knowledge database on the chemical and physical properties of different parts of the head, ie. cheeks, gills, eyes, brain and gels. When creating the database, it was necessary to take into account factors such as the biological variability of the fish, the time of year of fishing and the size of the fish. Once these factors have been carefully mapped, the path to further product development and value creation will become more purposeful.
Samples were taken in May and November 2017. Cats' eyes, brains, cheeks, gels and gills were examined separately with respect to fish size and season of fishing. The results of the measurements showed, for example, that the fat content in the brain was considerably higher than the fat content in the other four parts that were measured. The highest fat content was found in 6-7 kg of fish caught in November and its fat content was about 5%, but the fat content in the other parts (eyes, gills, cheeks and gels) was in the range of 0.2-0.9%. The results of this study showed that water always goes hand in hand with protein and fat in different parts of the head. When the water content was high, the fat and protein content were low. The ash content of the gills was higher than in all the other parts, probably due to the fact that the gills have a different composition than the other parts. The omega-6 / omega-3 ratio was high in all the components measured but in varying amounts. This high percentage is considered good for human health and therefore one more reason to work these parts out of the head separately.
Based on the results obtained from the chemical analysis of different parts of the head, there is every reason to work on these parts separately to increase the value of the head.
Björn Viðar Aðalbjörnsson, an employee of Matís and the University of Iceland, recently received a grant from the Student Innovation Fund for two students, but the intention is to explore new ways to improve health, reduce drug costs and increase the quality of life of the elderly.
Nutrition in old age can be problematic and often reduces the appetite of older people. This can lead to malnutrition which has a variety of health problems. Anorexia can cause a lot of weight loss along with fatigue and discomfort. A sign of malnutrition is a low body mass index associated with weight loss. This is a known risk factor for death in the elderly and also increases the risk of accidents due to weakness. Increased appetite and improved well-being of the elderly play a major role in nutritional intake. Nutritional intake is important for patients who are recovering from surgery or accident.
The aim of the project is to shorten hospitalization or presence in hospitals by simply changing the appearance of the food on offer. Shorter attendance at a hospital means a better quality of life for older people and consequently less strain on the health system with associated savings for society.
The weekend 7.-8. April, a varied environmental program will be offered at the Nordic House for guests of all ages. The goal is to present simple and fun solutions that promote environmentally friendly and greener homes.
Workshops, lectures, seminars, presentations, design exhibitions and documentaries will be offered, among other things. The events have in common to present ways to make better use of the values all around us and reduce waste in various areas.
Our homes - houses and gardens - are small ecosystems where we set the rules!
The main partners are: Garðyrkjufélag Íslands, Landvernd, Listaháskóli Íslands, Matís, Sorpa, Umhverfisstofnun and Vakandi. The Nordic Focus is involved in planning and sponsoring the environmental festival.
Participation is free and everyone is welcome as long as accommodation allows. No registration required - just come! 🙂
A visit to the greenhouse to Grandma Nature, plant and get good advice for the garden, Saturday and Sunday at 13-16
The Wonder Workshop, want to create a weird fish or an alien? You choose! in the workshop, work will be done with textile material that is produced during production in Iceland, Saturday at 14-16 (registration)
The spring works in Vatnsmýri, bird protection stands for celebration in the bird sanctuary in Vatnsmýri, a walk for good! Saturday at 13-17.
Other events
This is how we reduce food waste / Lectures: Selina Juul from Stop Food Waste and Klaus B. Pedersen from Too Good To Go. Both have received the Nordic Council's Environment Prize for their excellent results in the fight against food waste, Saturday at 16-17. Chat and taste after the lectures.
Sauerkraut for gourmets: Dagný Hermannsdóttir teaches guests about both ancient and modern methods of pickling vegetables. Guests get the opportunity to taste unique samples from Dagný's garden! Sunday.
Advanced course in composting: Garðyrkjufélag Íslands runs a course in composting and introduces simple methods that are suitable for both the kitchen and the garden. Sunday.
All-Icelandic flatbread: food talk and taste, Sveinn Kjartansson TV chef and Flatbökusamsteypan talk about pizza as the perfect flexible recipe AND how to use Icelandic ingredients in an original way, Sunday at 15-17.
Documentaries
Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story, award-winning documentary on food waste, Friday 6 April and Sunday 8 April at 18. // http://www.foodwastemovie.com
The flatbread conglomerate, at the festival it will be possible to see a short documentary about the Flatbökusamsteypan's urgent food project.
Food design: An exhibition organized by design students at the Iceland Academy of the Arts
The theme of the exhibition is food, food experience, food design, underutilized raw materials and innovation. An original, beautiful and thought-provoking show from aspiring product designers.
Sewing workshop: sew your own shopping bag
The Icelandic Women's Association opens a sewing workshop at the Nordic House. Do you have pieces of fabric, strong fabric or curtains at home that deserve new life? Take the materials with you and sew your own shopping bags - or let others enjoy them!
A very good interview was published this weekend in Fiskifréttir. The interview is with Anna Kristín Daníelsdóttir and Jónas R. Viðarsson at Matís about the European project MareFrame which ended recently. It is safe to say that what has come out of the project will have a far-reaching impact on improved fisheries management around the world, taking into account more factors than has been done before.
Icelanders have played a key role in developing revolutionary technology for fisheries management. Fish stocks are then examined in the context of the ecosystem as a whole, as well as both economic and social factors.
For the past four years, Anna Kristín Daníelsdóttir at Matís has managed the European project MareFrame together with Gunnar Stefánsson at the University of Iceland. The MRI also played a key role in the project. The final report of the project has been published and will be presented to stakeholders shortly.
"Fisheries management in most parts of the world has revolved almost exclusively around individual stocks," says Jónas Rúnar Viðarsson, who has also taken an active part in the project along with other Icelanders.
Photo with news: Anna Kristín Daníelsdóttir project manager MareFrame distributes Jónas R. Viðarsson, project manager FarFish of the project, a healthy dose of herring halibut from Margild ehf. but it is new that fish oil is made from pelagic species. Anna has now finished working on the MareFrame project, but Jónas has just started as FarFish's project manager, so it's good that the transfer of knowledge is taking place on this occasion 🙂
The first two articles in issue 31/2018 were published in the international scientific journal Icelandic Agricultural Sciences.
The first article, Differences in the performance of Icelandic birch in a 14-year experiment in Miðnesheiði, reports a comparative experiment with 25 quails of Icelandic birch from all over the country. Miðnesheiði is a windy area with salt deposits and the soil is poor and the forestry there is clean. The purpose of the study was to find birch groves that were best suited for this area. The experiment began in 1998 and in 2003 lupine plants were planted inside the birch. In 2012, fourteen years after the birch was planted, the results were evaluated.
Southern birch weeds were better found in Miðnesheiði than weeds from other parts of the country. The height and survival of the poem Þórsmörk proved to be the best. Local quarries from Reykjanes thrived worse than other southern quarries. When cultivating birch forest on infertile soil in Suðurnes, it is recommended to emphasize the crops that have shown the best performance in the experiment. It is also recommended to apply the plants in the first years after planting and at the same time to sow lupine.
In this study, measurements were made on the flow of methane (CH4), laughing gas (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) with increased soil temperature in the fold in the spruce forest. Emissions of the same gases were measured in soil cores in a laboratory at 20 ° C, in addition to the gases nitric oxide (NO) and nitric acid (HONO).
The results showed that eight years of soil warming had changed both the chemical composition and microbial flora of the soil and thus the ability to produce the aforementioned gases. However, the production capacity of CO2, CH4 and N2O in a laboratory at 20 ° C not regularly with increased temperature in the fold. The authors discuss the adaptation of microorganisms to increased temperature, but also consider whether some of the gases released in nature may be from greater depths, of geological origin, rather than due to decay in the soil.
This will be the first Icelandic study to examine the release of nitric acid (HONO) from the soil.
An exciting conference on algae farming, aquaculture and shellfish farming will take place on 19 and 20 March under the title Strandbúnaður 2018.
Icelanders, like other people on the planet, face great challenges, including food production for the future. More and more people are paying attention to the fact that less than 5% of the world's total food and feed production comes from oceans and lakes, even though they cover about 70% of the earth's surface. It is therefore worth looking at making better use of water for food production, and this is where coastal equipment comes in strong, thus playing together the sixth world goal - clean water and toilet facilities - and the fourteenth - life in water- to the other world goal - no hunger. Industries based on the exploitation of resources on and off the coast of the country can certainly help solve the challenges we face. The world's food security can be strengthened by the so-called blue revolution - food production - in water - including along the coast.
Several attempts have been made to move the concept aquaculture into Icelandic costume. Aquaculture is primarily about fish farming, shellfish farming or cultivation and the use of algae is not covered. Aquaculture refers to aquaculture in liquid, that concept has not solved anchors. Coastal farming is a synonym for industries related to the utilization of land and / or sea quality in and along the coast of the country, whether it is cultivation or fire, just as agriculture refers to cultivating the land, cultivating animal species and benefiting from what the animals give off. It was noted at the first conference, a year ago, that the name coastal equipment could be established.
It is important that there is an open forum for professional and informative debate on the most urgent and important issues for the industries that utilize resources and quality on, by and off the coast of the country. The industries in question are aquaculture, algae farming and shellfish farming. Stakeholders have the opportunity to make their decisions at the conference Coastal equipment 2018 which will take place at the Grand Hotel on 19 and 20 March. The Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture will chair the conference. Strandbúnaður 2018 is open to everyone, it will be discussed separately, at defined seminars; ethics, welfare, possibilities for land farming of salmon, whether salmon lice are an "emerging" problem, the fate of Icelandic shellfish farming in light of competition with live imported shells, utilization of small algae as a revolution in the production of organic matter and that farming is more than salmon. Among the seminars is the harvest festival of research and finally there will be a discussion about health in coastal equipment with the subtitle work and awareness raising.
In all cultivation work where man uses land or sea areas for his own benefit, questions may arise as to what is morally right to go far in terms of the environment, morality and not least the welfare of the living organisms of the century. These speculations are justified in connection with the industries covered by coastal equipment as well as other industries where organisms are cultivated for human consumption. Strandbúnaðar 'conferences are intended to be a forum for constructive discussions about the industries, and the opening seminar provides an opportunity to discuss these issues. The topics will be discussed from the point of view of ethics, the protection of territories, possible penalties for warning will be examined and possible preventive measures will be looked at.
In light of the research that contributes to knowledge that supports business development, a special seminar is dedicated to the results of research and development, which has been funded by the AVS Fisheries Research Fund, the Environmental Fund for Aquaculture, the Technology Development Fund, Nordic funds, European funds and economic funds. There, some examples of how new knowledge has been applied for the benefit of the Icelandic economy for value creation in coastal equipment will be discussed and at the same time examples of opportunities for advancement in that field will be given. It is important to succeed in implementing new knowledge in the operation of companies so that the impact of the investment that has been invested in research, innovation and development work can be maximized.
The seminar on the health of coastal equipment will include; what are the biggest challenges, where and what can be done better and what innovations can be applied to our neighbors' experience bank to take advantage of the conditions that are considered favorable to increase food production from aquaculture and other coastal industries.
The article first appeared in Morgunblaðið on March 14, 2018
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the Global Goals, are 17 in number. The ninth is about building strong infrastructure, promoting sustainable industrialization for all and fostering innovation. The aim is, among other things, to improve the technical capacity of industries in order to encourage innovation and increase the number of jobs in research and development. In this context, Iceland aims to increase public and private investment in 3% of GDP.
There are countless opportunities for innovation. In accordance with the strategic decision, to focus on increasing the value of seafood rather than increasing the amount of seafood, Icelanders have worked on innovation in the utilization of water-related resources, but fourteenth the world goal is to live in water. With developments based, among other things, on the implementation of research results, progress has been made in the Icelandic fisheries sector. Processing reforms aimed at increasing the utilization of raw materials increase the supply of nutritious foods, which reduces the temptation to overdo sensitive strains.
Teaching, educating and refining procedures throughout the food value chain supports responsible consumption that can help reduce waste in accordance with twelfth the world goal.
Recruitment in industries can be assessed with more than the number of new companies. New and powerful, often well-educated, employees can be taken into account. Industries are also renewed to some extent when talented people strive to develop industries with new roots. Instead of competing with each other in traditional production, opportunities lie in creating new things, launching new currents into society. We're good at what we do, but we need to do more. We know the fishing and processing of catfish, our main pelagic species and several shellfish species. Although there are still many things that we have not ascertained regarding the raw material side of the seafood value chain, there is further inland on the market side of the chain, not least when it comes to non-traditional products, such as food supplements. Analysis of incentives and responses to changes in attitudes and expectations of consumers in desirable markets often meet surpluses when the emphasis is on production rather than demand.
The economy in the country benefits from the existence of infrastructure and knowledge that is used in its development and to deal with and solve challenges that may arise. In an effort to be able to meet the needs of the business community, Matís has grown year by year, rather than limiting the scope of its operations to the amount of the company's service agreement with the Ministry of Industry and Innovation (ANR).
Great emphasis has been placed on domestic and international co-operation and advances in research investment that has been used in development work and has resulted in, among other things, new equipment, products and / or contributed to increased efficiency and rationalization in the processing of seafood.
Amounts or the percentage of GDP spent on innovation are not the only measures that can be taken on innovation and development. It is important to know what the goal is and how to evaluate what is being done. Some people rely on criteria related to known topics in scientific work, such as the number of published articles or citations to the articles that have been published by the person in question, without this ensuring the utilization of the knowledge. The number of projects that are being worked on can prove to be a contradictory measure of where too much energy may go into non-management rather than scientific work.
Matís employees have been associated with increased export value, XDR for each kg obtained from the sea, at establishment and activity AVS Fisheries Research Fund and Technology Development Fund, as can be seen above. The support of these key funds for innovation projects has contributed to the development of the value chain of Icelandic seafood. Market conditions and catch composition also have a major impact on value formation in fishing and processing of seafood. Compared with the Food Price Index of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (e. FAO Fish Price Index) which is published regularly in Food Outlook, there are indications of a difference between the development of value creation in the Icelandic fisheries sector and the development of fish prices according to Art. FAO and for further clarification, a line is also drawn above which shows the development of the export value of the Faroese fisheries. But is there any reason to ask whether we are too productive or whether we have diverted our attention too much? Looking at the statistics, it can be seen that the increase in value has not risen as fast since 2011 as in the first years of the aforementioned funds' operations. It can be said that the export value of Icelandic catch has fluctuated in recent years rather than growth. In 2011, the highest budget allocation was granted by the ACP budget. In the current year's budget, the ACP budget is less than 44% of the maximum. It is not guaranteed that we can expect a similar number of innovations in connection with the Icelandic fisheries sector in the near future.
It can be assumed that it is now possible to improve and increase value creation even further, utilizing what has been created as a lever for future development. Just as we are tearing up the Icelandic fishing industry from the year 2003, where it can be said that stability has characterized the export value of fish caught, until the increase in value was noticed, there is an opportunity to do even better than we have done in recent years. Although AVS has deteriorated, contributions to the Technology Development Fund and innovation in the form of tax deductions have increased. It is up to stakeholders in the fisheries sector to take advantage of these opportunities.
Just as the power of leverage enables one to move things beyond what one can handle unsupported, one can work together to achieve success in value creation that promotes prosperity and well-being. Matís has used funds from a service agreement with ANR to raise funds for large projects for the development of the Icelandic economy and society. In recent years, Matís has generated ISK 2.7 in revenue from competition funds and in direct sales of services for every ISK from ANR. Hopefully, the aforementioned volatility of export values is not a direct consequence of the requirement for responsible operation of Matís and increased project management following the emphasis that employees finance the company by shaping projects that benefit the economy.
The infrastructure of the economy can stimulate development, if it is good, but hinder it if it is not. Matís' operations have attracted attention. Now kanna the Faroese government the possibility of establishing operations in that country similar to Matís. If people are satisfied with the experience of Matís' operations, it would be preferable to utilize the driving force that has characterized the operations and reflects two of the company's values, creativity and initiative, in ongoing collaboration to further increase value creation. In this way, the sustainable growth of the communities in the countryside around the country can be promoted in spirit eleven of the world goal.
The article first appears in Sóknarfæri - Initiative and professionalism in the Icelandic fishing industry - 16 February
Each major event follows Matís | Last week, he was the head of one of the most famous whiskey producers in the world in Iceland for a conference held at Matís' headquarters in Reykjavík. This week is EiT Food Innovation Week and in connection with it, about 20 foreign students and professors related to innovation and entrepreneurship in Europe and beyond will come to Iceland. In addition, about 10 Icelandic students will participate.
One of these professors is Dr. Shima Barakat, who is known for her involvement in the construction of the Cairo train system, has been working on innovation at Cambridge University in the UK for the past few years. It is a great gift to have Dr. Barakat to the country.
EiT Food Innovation Week (EiT Venture Week), will take place in Iceland next week, 12-17. March in connection with Design March. The week is based on students, with support from teachers at the University of Iceland, the Iceland Academy of the Arts, Cambridge University and VTT in Finland, using their knowledge and experience to create new thinking, come up with new ideas and concepts that lead to new solutions when is about utilizing the ocean's resources in a sustainable way. The beginnings are no coincidence, as Icelanders are considered when it comes to the sustainable management of the ocean's resources.
Further information can be obtained from Guðjón Þorkelsson, 858-5044, and Björn Viðar Aðalbjörnsson, 696-2911, but information can also be found on the Innovation Week's website.
