Category: News

Cooperation on research and development in the fisheries sector is part of Iceland's development cooperation. In this way, the aim is to utilize Icelanders' expertise in the field where Icelanders are at the forefront, so that, among other things, improved food security can be promoted on the basis of sustainable resource utilization. Such co-operation has recently revealed results that strengthen the arguments for the importance of good and disciplined work methods in the production of fish fillets.

In the recent month of May came out article in the Journal of Food Engineering on the effects of ambient temperatures and pending raw material processing. The article is based on a study conducted in collaboration with Icelanders' emphasis in development cooperation, where it is planned to utilize Icelanders' expertise in the field of fish processing. The study was carried out jointly by private companies and public bodies, and such co-operation is part of Iceland's contribution to meeting the world's goals.

A Chinese student United Nations University School of Fisheries (UNU-FTP), Mu Gang, worked on the research under the guidance of Icelandic instructors during his study stay in Iceland. Mu Gang's instructors were dr. Kristín Anna Þórarinsdóttir at Marel, Ásbjörn Jónsson and Arnljótur Bjarki Bergsson at Matís and the research was carried out at Matís.

The article provides results that strengthen the argument for the importance of good and disciplined work methods in the production of fish fillets. Purposeful cooling plays a key role in preserving quality. As important as it is to minimize the damage to the fish from fishing to consumption, it is also important to reduce any delays that may occur in the processing process. As has been stated another level bleeding, haemorrhage (bleeding), washing and cooling are important on board fishing vessels, the same applies to the efficiency and maintenance of low temperatures during fillet processing. 

Although every effort is made to work well in processing fish into fillets, it may happen that fish do not find their way through the processing as quickly as expected or that fish pass through a space that is warmer than would be preferable. . The results of the study show well the consequences if one deviates from the established procedure, ie. to maintain a low temperature throughout the processing process, even if the deviation is short-lived. High ambient temperatures and processing delays lead to a reduction in the weight and value of products. It is therefore important to avoid bottlenecks that lead to the accumulation of fish in processing channels, especially in slightly chilled conditions. In addition, it is important that the temperature of the products during packaging is as close as possible to the storage temperature. 

The knowledge created by the research is an example of the fruit of Matís' long and successful collaboration United Nations University School of Fisheries with Icelandic fisheries companies as well as companies that serve the Icelandic fisheries sector, such as Marel. Extensive knowledge is created in the university community and researchers have worked in extensive collaboration on its development and implementation at strong, responsible fisheries companies. Cooperation on the application of knowledge has enabled the Icelandic fishing industry to make great strides, and this has been noticed around the world. It has made the Icelandic fishing industry theirs knowledge industry who he is today and lives in the field for his development for the future.

Marel is one of Iceland's largest export companies and a world leader in the development and production of advanced equipment and systems for fish processing.

Matís provides advice and services worldwide to customers such as companies fisheries and agriculture. Matís assists customers in the development and implementation of knowledge, including new processes for companies with the application of science.

Icelandic fisheries companies work on value creation with sustainability as a guiding principle, biological, economic and social. 

The United Nations University School of Fisheries is one of four United Nations universities hosted in Iceland with the aim of enhancing fisheries expertise; fisheries and fish processing in developing countries.

Málfríður Bjarnadóttir at Matís will defend her master's thesis on Friday 2 June at 13 but in his project, Málfríður investigated whether it was possible to obtain protein from silver, which could, for example, be suitable for vegetarians. 

Exact location: 

• Matís
• Vínlandsleið 12
• 109 Reykjavík
• Meeting room 311 
• Project for a master's degree in food science worked at Matís

Abstract

The need for a secure food supply is constantly growing in line with population growth. In modern society, there is also an increasing emphasis on a healthy diet, protection of the environment, utilization of natural ingredients and sustainability. Thus, for example, a diet that excludes animal products is becoming increasingly popular. For this reason, it is important to find new sources of food, especially protein sources, which contain the essential amino acids that the human body needs. Salt (Palmaria palmata) belongs to the class of red algae that contain a high percentage of good quality proteins. The extraction of proteins from silver, on the other hand, is limited by a strong cell wall consisting mainly of β- (1 → 4) / β- (1 → 3) -D-xylans. In order to overcome this obstacle, it is necessary to break down this cell wall. Different ways of doing this have been explored along with different methods for assessing protein content. The aim of this project was to examine the effect of different enzymes on protein recovery from P. palmata. Enzyme stimulation with both protease and xylanase was examined. Hydrolysis with xylanase yielded the best protein yields and showed that protein extract from P. palmata contains all the vital amino acids that the human body needs and is therefore cost-effective as a protein source in food. A new nitrogen coefficient was calculated for the samples analyzed for amino acid composition and the coefficient varied greatly between samples. The coefficient was significantly lower than 6.25 which is the coefficient normally used. These results suggest that using a nitrogen content of 6.25 for seaweed such as P. palmata may cause an overestimation of protein levels. This makes it difficult to compare results between studies. Hydrolysis with protease with or without xylanase resulted in a higher proportion of peptides, amino acids and small proteins in the liquid after filtration and therefore the distribution of proteins was more even between samples. Protease hydrolysis is therefore not good for isolating proteins by the method used in this study. However, their fluid extracts showed good in vitro antioxidant activity and ACE inhibitory activity. This suggests that the use of protease on P. palmata is a good way to produce and extract bioactive substances. 

• Supervisor: Rósa Jónsdóttir, Matís
• Supervising teacher: Björn Viðar Aðalbjörnsson, University of Iceland, Matís
• Co-supervisor: Hörður Kristinsson, Matís
• Examiner: Hákon Hrafn Sigurðsson, University of Iceland

Matís' Annual General Meeting for the 2016 operating year took place yesterday at 13 to Vínlandsleið 12. The agenda of the meeting was as usual as provided in Articles of Association for the company.

Matís' Board of Directors after the Annual General Meeting is as follows:

• Sjöfn Sigurgísladóttir - chairman 
• Auðbjörg Ólafsdóttir
• Guðmundur Gunnarsson
• Heiða Kristín Helgadóttir
• Karl Ægir Karlsson
• Sigrún Traustadóttir
• Sindri Sigurgeirsson

From the report of the board

Matís is a science and knowledge society based on strong research infrastructure and solid industrial collaboration. Matís' role is to strengthen the competitiveness of Icelandic products and the economy, ensure food security and the sustainable use of the environment through research, innovation and services, and to improve public health. Matís started work on January 1, 2007. Since then, the company has steadily strengthened nationally and as an international research company. Matís is today a larger, more powerful and progressive company than 10 years ago, which underlines that its establishment was right at the time. Matís is not part of official supervision. Such supervision is under the authority of Matvælastofnun, which purchases, among other things, measuring services from Matís.

The majority of Matís' activities are the research component, diverse projects, large and small, projects carried out with domestic companies and internationally. Research and innovation projects deliver results that are important to continue working on, that they are used for change and development - that they are implemented by companies and investors.  

2016 was Matís' tenth year of operation. We celebrated the anniversary by offering employees and their families a true science family party in February this year. Matís has a huge human resource and it was really nice to have the families of our employees. The interest was not hidden among the many educated guests at the company's headquarters at Vínlandsleið 12. 

The bioeconomy and future opportunities within it will be the focus of Matís' research and services in the coming years. Like everything else in our world, research is changing and evolving over time. Today, research projects are more interdisciplinary and more comprehensive than before, looking more at the overall picture of research topics. This is exactly one of Matís' main strengths, diversity in knowledge as well as knowledge and the ability to do very limited research.

Investors, the OECD, the World Bank and other international organizations are increasingly looking to the sustainable use of marine resources to ensure economic growth and well-being for the world's 9 billion people in the coming decades. In recent years, Matís has emphasized these opportunities in our international work, as they are future opportunities in Matís' work and for value creation in Iceland. Globalization has come to be and it affects investment, research, production, marketing and the value chain of the bioeconomy as a whole. It has driven technological revolutions lately. years and will do so to an even greater extent in the coming years.

Matís' policy is to be a progressive knowledge company that strengthens Iceland's competitiveness and thus returns revenue to the Icelandic state, and at the same time to be a sought-after, demanding and exciting workplace with first-class facilities where qualified and satisfied employees have the opportunity to grow and enjoy their work.

Matís 'goal is to be a leader in the demanding world of innovation, and with this challenging environment and opportunities in the background, extensive strategic work was carried out in 2016. Matís' strategy emphasizes strong dissemination and implementation of results, as well as building strong infrastructure that can serve cutting-edge research in the field of food safety, product development and ingredients, and exploration and exploitation of genetic resources.

Matís' values are integrity, ambition, creativity and initiative. With these values in mind, Matís' staff has over the past 10 years built up a handsome capital in the form of infrastructure, processes and skills. Over the next 10 years, we want to further influence these areas for Iceland, the Icelandic state and our other domestic and foreign customers - investors, companies, institutions, organizations and individuals.

Matís' success over the years is certainly remarkable and I would like to mention a few examples from the year 2016:

Matís achieved the great result in 2016 of being among the 50 companies and institutions in Europe that became the most competitive in the competition for the 400 million euro investment of the Horizon 2020 program in EIT FOOD. This group includes companies such as Pepsico and universities such as Cambridge University. The total investment in EIT FOOD is estimated at over ISK 200 billion over 7 years.

During the year, Matís, together with partners, became involved in a competition for projects aimed at improving fisheries management and the utilization of fish stocks to which European nations have access outside European jurisdiction. The project has been named FARFISH, but Matís' income from it is around 1.2 million euros in the period 2017-2020. Matís' total revenue from international research projects in 2016 was around EUR 480 million and was just over EUR 2,500 million from 2007-2016.

More examples of 2016 results:

• The collaboration between Matís, Skaginn / 3X, FISK Seafood and others on the development of supercooling received Sviföldan at the Fisheries Conference this autumn, and Svifaldan is an award given for the most avant-garde idea in the fisheries sector each year.
• During the year, the number of views of Matís' videos on Youtube exceeded 120,000, the company has more than 5,000 followers on Facebook who connect more than 10,000 times a month and participate in the site's discussions more than 6,000 times a month. Today we have more than 6 thousand followers on Twitter. This clearly shows that Matís is able to disseminate scientific information to the public.
• Matís has participated in and led education in the field of engineering, design and other disciplines, but especially in the field of food science. We have connected university studies and the business world with good results, which has led to many individuals in the business world today having received education and experience related to Matís and living it in their current work. As a result, the collaboration between Matís and the University of Iceland on studies in food science received the Fjöreggið award from the Icelandic Food and Nutrition Association in 2016.

Food security plays a key role in the value creation of the food industry today. The emphasis on food safety and integrity in food production is likely to increase in the coming years, with the introduction of food integrity reference laboratories. The Icelandic state is obliged to designate reference laboratories to enforce the provisions of European food legislation, but reference laboratories are an important part of making food transport between European countries easier and open up the European market for Icelandic producers. requirements and rules. In the field of chemicals and microbial measurements, 21 fields are defined and at the end of 2016, Matís had been nominated as a reference laboratory for 14 of these fields. This is an example of the growing role that Matís has in food security in this country.

Matís' revenue in 2016 was a total of 1615 million. Operating profit before financial items was around ISK 28.5 million, but taking into account financial items and taxes, the company's profit was just over ISK 9 million. The main difference is the strong position of the króna, as more than a third of Matís' total income was in foreign currency in 2016.

The total number of employees at the end of the year was 114. A total of 12 employees are vocationally educated and 93 university-educated, i.e. 28 with a doctorate and 10 in doctoral studies. The results of the job satisfaction survey in 2016 were positive and show an improved working environment at Matís, which was one of the key emphases of the company's strategy. This is truly an incentive to do even better.

April 27 The Watanabe Fund awarded grants to thirteen parties and on that occasion a ceremony was held in the Celebration Hall of the University of Iceland. 

Nine students and four scholars in a wide variety of fields at both Icelandic and Japanese universities receive grants totaling ISK 11 million from the Watanabe Scholarship Fund at the University of Iceland. The grants were handed over at a ceremony in the Celebration Hall of the University of Iceland on Thursday 27 April. Attending the distribution were Toshizo Watanabe, the fund's founder, and his wife, Hidemi Watanabe.

Matís is related to the allocation of one grant, but Kazufumi Osako, associate professor at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, receives a grant for a week's stay in Iceland, to strengthen tripartite collaboration with both the Faculty of Food and Nutrition at the University of Iceland and Matís. Guðjón Þorkelsson is the contact person for the University of Iceland because of this and accepted the grant on behalf of the grant recipients. Kazufumi Osako will meet with Matís and the Faculty of Food and Nutrition at the University of Iceland, in September this autumn in connection with the World Seafood Congress.

More

Professional leader in genetics: Matís is looking for an ambitious scientist / woman to lead a strong team and the professional structure of the field.

See more at Matís website

The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture has published the reports Monitoring in Iceland; mapping and vision and Development of research infrastructure in Iceland for the future.

The reports were prepared for the Science and Technology Policy Council by a project group on research infrastructure and monitoring, which was chaired by the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture in collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources.

In the spring of 2014, the Science and Technology Policy Council commissioned the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture to establish a project group on research infrastructure and monitoring (see Action 3.3 in the Science and Technology Policy Council's Policy and Action Plan 2014-2016). The group was intended to discuss research infrastructure and map public monitoring projects and to submit proposals on a) how monitoring projects can be prioritized, b) how Iceland can meet international monitoring obligations, c) whether it is possible to increase efficiency in arrangements. monitoring and (d) how to secure funding for long-term monitoring projects.

More

The European Food Safety Authority and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) are holding a conference on the fight against antibiotic resistance on Monday 15 May 2017 at 13:30 - 16:30 in the lecture hall of Icelandic Genetics at Sturlugata 8 in Reykjavík. 

Antibiotic resistance is one of the main threats to public health, food security and development in the world today, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Mortality from multi-susceptible bacteria has increased and it is estimated that infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria already cause around 700 thousand deaths worldwide each year, of which 25 thousand in Europe. What is the status of antibiotic resistance in Iceland and in Europe and how can a further increase in drug-resistant bacteria be prevented? 

More

Icelandic seafood has long been marketed so that emphasis has been placed on its purity and wholesomeness. However, it is not enough to claim that a product is healthy. High-quality and well-defined scientific data on undesirable substances in Icelandic seafood are key factors in demonstrating the status of Icelandic seafood in terms of safety and health. Icelandic food exports also depend on being able to demonstrate their safety, taking into account laws, regulations and market requirements. 

During the period 2003-2012, Matís collected data for systematic monitoring of undesirable substances in seafood from the resource, and the results of this monitoring for each year were compiled and published in a report in English. These reports are open to everyone and accessible on Matís' website. This continuous monitoring of contaminants in seafood was seen as an important part of securing Iceland's interests in the export of marine products and the resulting income. In recent years, Matís has not received funding to continue working on this monitoring project, so there has been a break in this important data collection as well as the publication of results in the period 2013-2016. It is therefore particularly gratifying that a service agreement has now been concluded between the Ministry of Employment and the Ministry of Innovation and Matís to resume systematic monitoring of undesirable substances in seafood from the resource.

The project began in March 2017 and aims to take samples of the main key export species of Icelandic seafood and measure the concentration of undesirable substances such as various dioxins, PCBs, pesticides and heavy metals in them. Scientific data of this kind from an independent researcher on the concentration of undesirable substances in seafood is very important in market presentations of seafood for potential buyers and strengthens all marketing work for Icelandic seafood. The data are also used to demonstrate the status of Icelandic seafood in terms of safety and health, as well as in food risk assessments.

Further information is provided by dr. Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir. 

The first three articles in issue 30/2017 of the international scientific journal Icelandic Agricultural Sciences were coming out. These three very interesting articles cover different topics and can be accessed HERE.

The first article is called in Icelandic "Reasons for distortion, genetic improvement and changes in genetic adherence to meat food and immeasurability in the Icelandic sheep population"And is by Jón Hjalta Jónsson and Ágúst Sigurðsson.

The authors examined whether breeding evaluation for meat evaluation characteristics in Icelandic sheep was distorted due to selection based on reviews of live lambs. They also examined the effects of selection on the genetic makeup of fats and the type of slaughter lambs and genetic progress in the stock. Inheritance coefficients were assessed with data for the years 2000-2013 from the Icelandic Farmers' Association separately for different periods. The results of a breeding evaluation with a two-variable analysis of meat evaluation characteristics were compared with a breeding evaluation also run with unmeasured results. Inheritance was estimated at 0.41 in the years 2001-2003 but 0.29 and 0.26 for 2006-2008 and 2011-2013. Breeding evaluation before type was found to be distorted in rams, which is put a lot ahead in the two-variable analysis, but no signs of phenotype were seen against the fat. Genetic improvement was estimated at -0.05 standard deviation of genetics per year for fat and 0.08 standard deviation of genetics per year before type.

The authors conclude that a diverse breeding evaluation and a reduction in genetic compliance can contribute to even greater breeding progress in the future. These are therefore very interesting results for all those who conduct research on sheep breeding evaluation and bring the results to breeders. 

Article number two in the publication is entitled "Overview of barley breeding and cultivation experiments in Iceland 1987-2014"By Hrannar Smári Hilmarsson, Magnus Göransson, Morten Lillemo, Þórdís Anna Kristjánsdóttir, Jónatan Hermannsson and Jón Hallsteinn Hallsson.

The authors undertake the great task of giving an overview of barley breeding and cultivation experiments carried out in Iceland over a period of 28 years, from 1987 to 2014. Comparative experiments were carried out in 40 places in the country during the period, but the number of experimental sites decreased and the genotypes in each experiment increased. equalized as the season progressed. This is the first summary of the great experimental work that has been done in these 28 years. One of the most interesting conclusions of the article is that the yield in Icelandic experiments increased at the same time as the cultivation period shortened as the research period progressed. This can be due both to the good results of the Icelandic breeding work and changed weather conditions. Not only did the Icelandic breeding lines yield more yields in experiments over time, but they also matured earlier.

Cultivation of barley on the fringes of Arctic regions such as Iceland is on the verge of possible, which is reflected in the short history of barley cultivation in Iceland. The importance of barley cultivation has increased in recent years for Icelandic agriculture, which has been explained, among other things, as a result of tests on foreign barley crops and no less on the breeding of Icelandic varieties for Icelandic conditions, but also due to improving environmental conditions. The results presented here give a good overview of the history of the breeding project and are therefore important for ongoing agricultural experiments for Icelandic agriculture and can also be useful for other comparable projects in peripheral areas in the world.

Article number three in the publication is entitled "Stock of goose feed (Arabidopsis thaliana) from Iceland analyzed using cell genetics methods and genome sequencing"By Terezie Mandáková, Hjört Þorbjörnsson, Rahul Pisupati, Ilka Reichardt, Martin A. Lysak and Kesara Anamthawat-Jónsson.

It is not every day that a new plant species is found in Iceland, but here the authors report exactly that. The Latin name of the plant is Arabidopsis thaliana and it got the Icelandic name goose food. This new species was found in May 2015 in a geothermal area by Deildartunguhver in Western Iceland. Dried plants were placed in the AMNH plant collection and samples were collected for chromosome analysis and genome sequencing. There are now a number of analyzes from around the world of the genetic material of goose feed, so that the relationship between the Icelandic plants could be traced. Sequencing showed the most similarity to samples from Sweden, but with a low correlation coefficient. The conclusion is that although the Icelandic goose food is more related to strains from Scandinavia than strains from elsewhere, it has not originally been obtained from any of the strains in the collection of 1001 genomes of goose food from around the world. Samples from Iceland have now been added to the collection and although most of us find it most enjoyable to know about a new plant species in Iceland, experts abroad are probably even more excited about the sequencing of authors' research on the relationship of Icelandic plants to goose assessment elsewhere in the world.

Marvin Ingi Einarsson gives a lecture on his project for a master's degree in industrial engineering. The name of the project is: Fishmeal and fish oil processing on board freezer trawler (Fishmeal and fish oil production on board freezer trawlers).

Fishmeal and fish oil processing on board freezer trawler
When does this event begin?: May 3, 2017 - 3:00 p.m.
Event location: Matís
Further location: Room 312

In recent years, the emphasis on the sustainable utilization of marine products has increased significantly, and this can be attributed to an increased awareness of the value of by-products. The aim of this project is to submit different proposals for fishmeal and fish oil processing for new freezer trawlers, find start-up costs and evaluate the feasibility of implementation. Different technical solutions have been examined and profitability assessed. The chemical content of the raw material was analyzed, income, energy costs, other variable operating costs and fixed costs were assessed. The results of this project will be useful to fishing companies when estimating the processing time for fishmeal and fish oil processing for freezer trawlers. In this way, it will be possible to compare actual bids from manufacturers with the results of the project and thus obtain an estimate of the payback period of the investment.

In recent years, sustainable operations of the fishing industry has got a lot of attention. This trend is based on the fact that awareness of the value various bi-products, besides the fish filets, brings to the operators. The purpose of this project is to evaluate different types of solutions for fishmeal and fish oil processing on board freezer trawlers with regard to investment- as well as operations costs. The available raw material has been analyzed, revenues estimated and compared to variable and fixed costs. The results can be used to evaluate actual offers from system suppliers and by doing so

Supervisors

• Björn Margeirsson is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Iceland and research director at Sæplast & Tempra.
• Gunnar Stefánsson Professor at the Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Iceland.
• Sigurjón Arason, professor at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition at the University of Iceland and chief engineer at Matís.

Examiner

Sveinn Víkingur Árnason.