Category: News

In the past month, Matís' senior management had to take action, partly due to the strengthening of the Icelandic króna and results from international competition funds. In this context, it is worth noting that, unlike many government entities, Matís is for the most part run on self-funding and a significant part of that money is due to international research projects, which have been the basis for Matís' recent growth. years.

The measures in July consisted primarily of cutting expenses and streamlining operations so that Matís would not be operating at a loss in 2017, but responsible operations have always characterized Matís.

In the run-up to the operations, all cost items were carefully examined. As in other knowledge companies, the largest cost item in Matís' operations is wage costs. The goal of streamlining was not possible to achieve solely through restraint in other costs, such as travel costs, purchases of inputs and slower renewal of equipment. The result was the dismissal of eight employees, as well as even more restraint than previous plans had anticipated in the aforementioned cost items.

Matís will organize a conference October 31 - November 1, in cooperation with the Icelandic Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, in Reykjavík, Iceland.

Matís and Marine and Freshwater Research Institute

The most drastic effects of climate change will be in the Arctic regions, home of the Arctic charr. It is therefore of great importance for counties in the region to better understand the likely extent and impact of climate change on natural resources and biodiversity in Arctic regions. Research focusing on Arctic charr will advance our understanding of the effect of climate change, and how to adapt and diminish the effect of these changes and turn them into opportunities.

The Arctic charr is well suited as a model species to help understand the effects of climate change on aquatic biota. Arctic charr is a cold-adapted Arctic species with a circumpolar distribution. Already it can be observed that Arctic charr is retreating from its southernmost locations, for example in Iceland. Climate change is predicted to have numerous impacts on Arctic charr, including loss of anadromy, biodiversity and increased competition with other salmonid species.

The conference will bring together scientists and stakeholders from relevant Nordic countries and different fields of expertise to discuss concurrent problems related to climate change. It will provide valuable information on the status and future of Arctic charr and help decision makers and stakeholders to understand possible opportunities and risks associated with climate change.

The abstracts from the conference are available here.

Location:

Marine Research Institute

Skúlagata 4, 1st floor

101 Reykjavík

Arctic charr: Ecology, genetics, climate change, and the implication for conservation and management

Tuesday, 31 of October 2017.

8.30-9.10 Registration

9.10-9.20 Welcoming words by Sigurður Guðjónsson, Director General of the Marine Research Institute Iceland

9.20-9.30 Motivation and practical arrangements, Guðbjörg Ólafsdóttir, Conference coordinator

CHAIRMAN: Sigurður Guðjónsson

9.30-9.50 Guðbjörg Ólafsdóttir
Detection and mapping of mtDNA SNPs in Arctic Charr across the species range

9.50-10.10 Lucio Marcello
A transrange assessment of the selective relevance of mtDNA SNPS

10.10-10.30 Eric Verspoor
A transrange overview of the phylogeny of the Arctic char species complex 

10.30-11.10 Coffee break

11.10-11.30 Sigríður Rut Franzdóttir
Developmental mechanisms of Arctic charr divergence

11.30-11.50 Zophonías O. Jónsson
The Charr in Thingvallavatn - Genome and epigenome sequencing

11.50-12.10 Drywa, A
Genetic differentiation of Arctic Char in Loch Rannoch: nuclear differentiation of the known morphs and substructuring of morphs into multiple breeding populations

12.10-12.30 Ólafur Sigurgeirsson
SWOT- analysis of Icelandic Arctic charr culture

12.30-13.30 Lunch break

CHAIRMAN: Eric Verspoor

13.30-13.50 Jóhannes Guðbrandsson
Extensive genetic divergence between sympatric Arctic charr morphs in Lake Thingvallavatn

13.50-14.10 Jónína Herdís Ólafsdóttir and Kalina Hristova
Pre-zygotic mechanisms of reproductive isolation in Thingvallavatn Arctic charr

14.10-14.30 Samantha V. Beck
Harnessing the power of maternal effects for increasing the adaptive potential of a single population through developmental processes 

14.30-15.00 Coffee break

15.00-15.20 Bjarni K. KristjánssonThe evolution of phenotypic diversity in Arctic charr

15.20-15.40 Arnar PálssonPopulation subdivision and genetic differences among anadromous Arctic charr in Iceland

15.40-16.00 Guðni Guðbergsson and Ingi Rúnar JónssonStatus of Arctic charr in Iceland

16.00-16.30 Open discussion

16.00-18.00 Poster session and welcoming reception at the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, Skulagata 4, 101 Reykjavík.

Wednesday, 1 of November 2017.

CHAIRMAN: Sten Karlsson

9.00-9.20 Erik Jeppesen
Food-web studies in salmonid lakes in Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands

9.20-9.40 Gustav Hellström
Comparing behavior and habitat preferences between Arctic Charr and Lake Charr in a mountain lake

9.40-10.00 Helgi Thorarensen
The effect of climate change on Arctic charr populations in Iceland - A physiologist perspective

10.00-10.20 Stefán Ó. Steingrímsson
Various part activity patterns in wild stream-dwelling Arctic char

10.20-11.00 Coffee break

11.00-11.20 Jón Kjartan Jónsson
Challenging the farming of Arctic Charr

11.20-11.40 Ingeborg Mulder

Within lake winter movement patterns of anadromous Arctic charr in Labrador lakes

11.40-12.00 Michael Power

A retrospective of Arctic charr otoliths: what have we learned about temperature use?

12.00-12.30 Open discussion and closing

Matís organizes the seventeenth Nordic Sensory Workshop (NSW) conference from 3 to 4 May 2018. The topic of the conference is the interplay of different perceptions and the use of perceptual assessment in the food industry. 

The results of scientific research in this field and how companies can make use of them will be discussed. The conference will bring together experts in sensory evaluation and consumer research, as well as industry representatives, to discuss the latest research in this field in the Nordic countries. Participants are given an exciting opportunity to examine the perception and interaction of different senses from new perspectives and how this information can be used in a practical way, for example in service or product development. The conference is open to everyone.

More information and registration are at website of the conference. 

Integrity in business is a prerequisite for trust. Integrity in the food trade is the key to long-term consumer spending. Shocks have hit food producers and consumers, and confidence has been eroded by scandals that distort the food industry. Matís is a participant in the project MatarHeilindi.

Well-known examples of scandals that have shaken the food industry include 1985, where ethylene glycol (often used as a solvent and antifreeze) was found in measurable amounts in Austrian wines. In 2008, melamine was found in powdered milk in China. Many people still remember that in 2013 there was something about horsemeat being sold as beef. Then we can mention OPSON features Europol during the year this year and last year which dealt with cheating in the food trade and most recently analysis fipronils in eggs. It is worth mentioning that legal provisions on the responsibility of food companies for the safety of the food they produce, handle and distribute.

Matís has participated in the project MatarHeilindi (e. FoodIntegrity) from the beginning of 2014. The project aims to develop methods to detect and prevent fraud in the European food industry. The project is led by Fera, the British Food and Drug Administration. The project is funded by the Seventh European Framework Program for Research and Development.

MatarHeilindi deal with food that is whole / intact or in perfect condition, ie that buyers can safely deliver the product they think they are buying. Consumers or other stakeholders in the European food value chain need to be assured of safety, reliability and quality. Integrity in the food industry is a key factor in increasing the value of the continent's bioeconomy. The integrity of European foods is constantly threatened by fraudulent labels or imitations sold to reap the benefits of its added value. The project is intended to be a focal point in international coordination in the use of research and development to ensure the integrity of European food with the participation of the project's core group.

Further information about the project is provided Jónas R. Viðarsson, director of Matís.

Matís and the Laboratory of Geriatrics, Landakoti 5L, are requesting participants in a study that has been approved by the Science Ethics Committee.

Participants must be adults, 40 years and older with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 27 kg / m2 (see table with calculated body mass index below). Pregnant or breastfeeding women are excluded from participation. Individuals who are in contact and interested in participating in the study should reduce their intake of omega-3 foods and avoid fish oil for 2 weeks before and during intervention.

See more in leaflet from UI and LSP.

The SUSTAIN project, a huge international project, is currently underway, the purpose of which is to drill two holes in the island and utilize the data obtained for various and complex studies. This is the largest study ever conducted on Surtsey and is a multinational group of scientists involved. Matís is a participant in the project, led by dr. Viggó Þ. Marteinsson, but the project as such is under the direction of dr. Magnús Tuma Guðmundsson, professor of geophysics at the University of Iceland and dr. Marie Jackson, Associate Professor at the University of Utah in the United States. 

The researchers involved in the study are from Iceland, the United States, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Italy, New Zealand and Australia. Leading researchers in the project on behalf of Iceland are in addition to Magnús Tuma, Andri Stefánsson professor of geochemistry at the University of Iceland, Viggó Þór Marteinsson microbiologist from Matís, Tobias B. Weisenberger geochemist from Ísor and Kristján Jónasson geologist from the Icelandic Institute of Natural History. More specialists and technicians from these institutions will participate, but also experienced drilling geologists from Verkís and the Geotechnical Institute will be involved in the project, as well as a group of graduate students and new doctors.

A great deal of effort is put into not disturbing the ecosystem of Surtsey with this extensive research. All parties involved in the project and working on the island have received detailed instructions regarding the preparation and the conditions there to ensure a minimum of disruption. In addition, the Coast Guard has provided a helicopter that loads people and equipment back and forth so that intrusion will be kept to an absolute minimum in this sensitive and beautiful place. 

See more on the website of the University of Iceland.

Website of the project.

From the 12th to the 14th of July. A meeting of high-ranking officials from the European Union and members of the governments of Brazil and South Africa took place. The meeting was set up to welcome a new agreement on cooperation between these parties to place greater emphasis on understanding the link between global warming and its impact on the marine ecosystem (the blue bioeconomy).

Matís participated in this meeting but two projects, MareFrame and PrimeFish, discuss the subject of the meeting directly and indirectly, but both of these projects are managed by Matís, under the strong guidance of dr. Anna Kristín Daníelsdóttir (MareFrame) and dr. Guðmundur Stefánsson (PrimeFish).

It is safe to say that this event is an important beginning for the co-operation of these nations and other nations with the Atlantic, and it is therefore important that Iceland was represented at this event.

It is interesting to note that a new project, FarFish, which is chaired by Jónas R. Viðarsson at Matís, also discusses issues that are directly related to the topic of the meeting and concerns the fishing of the European fishing fleet outside the jurisdiction of the European Union.

Further information: 

• Cooperation between Europe, Brazil and South Africa 
• MareFrame
• PrimeFish
• FarFish

This spring, an agreement was made with Matís for the Mjólk project in many forms, where grants are awarded for entrepreneurship, where milk is used as a raw material. 8 applications were received for grants and the projects were of various kinds.

At a meeting of Auðhumla's board on June 29, it was decided to award three grants this time:

Fascinating power of organic whey

• Kr. 3,000,000.-
• Biobú and more
• Mysa is well known and widely used in various products around the world. However, the utilization potential has been lacking and large quantities are being discarded. The project promotes innovation and increased utilization of organic whey that is currently generated in the production of Biobú's dairy products. Utilization of by-products contributes to less waste in accordance with the United Nations Global Goals.

2. Jökla, Icelandic milk liqueur 

• Kr. 3,000,000.-
• Pétur Pétursson
• The project is quite innovative, as alcoholic beverages from Icelandic milk have never been produced or whey has been used to make liqueurs. The prototype of the product is ready and the grant will be used in further work due to the tests and processing processes.

3. A spike builds up

• Kr. 500.000.-
• Birna G. Ásbjörnsdóttir and Guðmundur Ármanna Pétursson
• Grant for a preliminary project on the development of health products from colostrum. Broddur is a unique product that is hardly used in Iceland today and breast is a product that few people know and is negligible. Icelandic milk is unique in that it contains Beta-Casein A2, which has been tested for health.

Matís will take care of project management.

Matís received a grant from the AVS fund to analyze the characteristics of cod heads.

In this preliminary project, the intention is to analyze the properties of cod heads, by examining different parts of it. The analysis will support the establishment of a database that can be an important part of the further development of valuable products from cod heads to date to offset the recent market decline in dried cod heads. 

The project is expected to be completed in the spring of 2018.

A project is now starting at Matís, which is funded by the Rannís Technology Development Fund. The project is called Súrþang and refers to the possibilities that exist in the treatment of seaweed with lactic acid bacteria and other fermentation microorganisms.

The aim of the project is to develop and standardize the action method of seaweed based on the treatment of lactic acid bacteria and other fermentation microorganisms. The lactic acid bacteria break down polysaccharides in the seaweed, making it more digestible and usable as a feed supplement rich in oligosaccharides and polyphenols with a variety of bioactivity and prebiotic properties.