Category: News

A report has been published by Matís on by-products from catfish processing in Iceland. The report reports on by-products made from raw materials resulting from the processing of our main catfish species, what the development of the processing has been in recent years in terms of quantity and value, as well as discusses small or untapped opportunities for further processing. catfish catch.

In 2015, Denmark chaired the Nordic Council of Ministers, and at the same time the Faroe Islands were tasked with shaping work in that field around utilization in the Blue Bioeconomy. As part of the presidency plan, the "Alt i land" project was launched, which was to examine the current utilization and possibilities for improved utilization in catfish processing in the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Norway and Iceland. The Faroese company Synthesis was commissioned to lead the project and you can see information about the installation and goals of the project the website of the Faroese Presidency Program.

Sequences of workshops were held in the four countries with stakeholders, data were analyzed and possibilities were explored. This included a feasibility study of some of the main possibilities for increased utilization. The results of the project have now been published report by the Nordic Council of Ministers which can be accessed.

In parallel with Matís' involvement in the "Alt i land" project, a Matís report was prepared, which collects information on the utilization of important catfish species in Iceland, explains which products are made from the raw material that is produced and possibilities for increased utilization of by-products. . The report is available at Matís website.

For more information  Jónas R. Viðarsson or Ásbjörn Jónsson

A new article was published in issue 29/2016 of the scientific journal Icelandic Agricultural Sciences (IAS) and can be accessed at http://www.ias.is/landbunadur/wgsamvef.nsf/key2/bsinaawuad.html  

The article is called "Diet of harbor seals in a salmon estuary in North-West Iceland"And is by the authors Sandra M. Granquist and Erling Hauksson.

The article deals with the food choices of harbor seals in the estuaries of salmon and trout fishing rivers in Húnaþing vestra. The potential impact of seals on salmonids is a big and controversial issue, so this study is a very important contribution to that discussion. The authors studied the food choices of harbor seals in the oasis areas from 2009 to 2011 with a grind and bone analysis from seal faeces samples. The main conclusion was that there was no evidence of salmonids in the faeces of the seals. However, flatfish were the most important in the seals' diet in the estuaries, and the next most important was herring. Herring was also the fish species that was found proportionally most in all years (45% samples) and that together with flatfish and capelin were predominant in the number of individual fish. However, there was some variation between years and there was also seasonal variation in the seals' food choices. These results are a very interesting and important contribution to the debate on the alleged negative effects of seals on salmon and trout fishing in Iceland.

More information at IAS website.

The Laboratory of Geriatrics, Landakot 5L and the Faculty of Food and Nutrition at the University of Iceland are requesting participants in a study that has been approved by the Science Ethics Committee.

• Participants need to be healthy, adults, 40 years and older. Participants with a body mass index of 30 kg / m² or higher can participate (see table with calculated body mass index below). Participants who exercise regularly are excluded from participation as well as pregnant women or women who are breastfeeding.
  
• Objectives The study is investigating the effect of different doses of bladderwort extract on short-term blood glucose in healthy adults.
  
• Participation in the study involves attending three times for two and a half hours blood glucose tests and body measurements. Participants will receive different doses of bladderwort extract along with 50 g of carbohydrates at each arrival. Measurements of body composition, height and weight will be performed. In addition, participants will be asked to provide information on general health.
  
• Balloon seaweed (Fucus vesiculosus) is rich in iodine, indigestible starch, salt and bioactive substances. Bladderwort extraction occurs when certain bioactive substances are extracted from the bladderwort and isolated. These bioactive substances are placed in gelatin capsules for easy ingestion. The use of kelp for human consumption is known and research on bioactive substances in kelp both here in Iceland and abroad suggests that kelp extract can have a positive effect on blood sugar control as kelp extract reduces the absorption of carbohydrates in the gastrointestinal tract.
  
• Participation is not paid for.

Interested parties who meet the above criteria are asked to have
contact Aníta Sif Elídóttir at 844-7131 or send an e-mail to anitas@landspitali.is

Aníta Sif Elídóttir is a nutritionist and an employee of the Faculty of Food and Nutrition at the University of Iceland and assists in the implementation of the research.

The person responsible for the study is Alfons Ramel, Professor at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition, University of Iceland (alfonsra@hi.is; phone: 543-9875).

Those who contact the researchers are only expressing an interest in further information and do not undertake to participate.

Table 1 - Minimum weight required to meet body mass index requirements ≥ 30 kg / m2

Height (m)	Weight (kg)
1,60	77
1,62	79
1,64	81
1,66	83
1,68	85
1,70	87
1,72	89
1,74	91
1,76	93
1,78	95
1,80	97,5
1,82	99,5
1,84	101,5
1,86	104
1,88	106
1,90	108,5
1,92	110,5
1,94	113
1,96	115
1,98	118
2,00	120

Body mass index is calculated from height and weight according to the formula weight / height² (kg / m²).

MacroFuels is a project that is part of Horizon 2020, the European Research Program 2014-2020, and the project began at the beginning of the year. Matís participates in this project, which aims to develop fuels from seaweed, for example butanol, ethanol, furanic substances and biogas (methane).

The project covers all aspects of the production chain: Algae cultivation of different species, harvesting technology, pre-processing as well as the development of chemical and biological transformations of seaweed sugars into fuel molecules.

Participants are universities, research institutes and companies from Iceland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Scotland, Belgium and Germany. Matís will develop and study enzymes and microorganisms to break down this biomass and use it to make fuel.

The first workshop lasted two days, reviewing the first six months of the project, what had been done and what had been achieved. One day was so well used in the organization of work in the project's work packages.

After the meetings, the participants went together to Reykjadalur, and got to know Icelandic nature and bathed in hot pools.

Reykjadalur 

For more information dr. Guðmundur Óli Hreggviðsson and dr. Bryndís Björnsdóttir at Matís.

The website of the Ministry of Industry and Innovation contains news on bioeconomic policy for Iceland. Bioeconomic policy has been under preparation for some time and there has been extensive consultation with stakeholders. This work has been led by Matís on behalf of the Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture.

The publication of the policy on the Ministry's website is part of an important consultation process and anyone wishing to address this important issue is encouraged to familiarize yourself with the draft policy and submit comments or suggestions, no later than 20 August 2016.

About bioeconomic policy

The goals of bioeconomic policy for Iceland are to support sustainable development and the development of an economy based on the utilization of living resources, across the so-called traditional industries, agriculture, fisheries and food processing. This work has sought to discuss opportunities for increased value creation within these sectors of the economy and how to support the development of new sectors in the future, how to improve utilization and reduce waste, as well as looking at the utilization of underutilized resources.

See more at website of the Ministry of Industry and Innovation.

Some time ago, EnRichMar completed the project led by Matís. The project aimed to enrich food with hygiene from the sea, but the project was part of the 7th European Research Program for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (FP7 SME).

The aim of the project was to increase the value of prepared foods by enriching them with raw materials and ingredients from unused seafood and by-products from fish processing. Emphasis was placed on omega-3 fatty acids and algae extracts, which can have an increased and positive effect on the health and stability of the food and increase its taste quality.

results

The project has created new business opportunities within and outside the group that participated in EnRichMar. The participating companies that produce bioactive substances have moved one step further and have marketed bioactive substances for a variety of foods in new lucrative markets. The diversity of bioactive ingredients has also increased due to the planned marketing of new ready-made dishes developed in connection with the project. The participating companies have acquired valuable market information on target foods, consumers' views on target foods in important markets and developed enriched foods based on information obtained from the main target groups. In addition, participants have first-hand information on the physiological effects of consuming enriched foods. It was fundamental for each participating company to develop a new and more valuable business model that will have a positive effect on their results in the future.

Increasing the value of raw materials and products will lead to increased diversity in healthy prepared dishes and can thus contribute to improved public health. The results are also important for the European fisheries sector and the utilization of marine resources due to the increased value of tributaries from the fisheries sector and underutilized marine resources.

It should be noted that the beginning of this project can be traced to a grant from Increased value of the Seafood Fund (AVS). As a result, the Nordic countries became interested in the project and a similar project was funded Norden, Nordic Innovation, Nordic Innovation Fund. Eventually, the project expanded even further, adding another group of participants, resulting in the EnRichMar project discussed in this article.

Two Icelandic participants were in the project in addition to Matís. Marinox and Grímur kokkur were involved from the beginning and it is safe to say that the benefits were significant for these Icelandic participants:

Grímur kokkur, Grímur Gíslason:

"It has been very important for our company to be part of EnRichMar and the cooperation was very good. EnRichMar has opened up export opportunities, helped us make healthy food healthier, and solved problems related to the production of meals containing omega fatty acids. We will market two products developed in the project this summer"

Marinox, Rósa Jónsdóttir:

"The EnRichMar project is a key factor in enabling Marinox to scale up the production of bioactive seaweed concentrate, and we have also received important information on the composition, efficacy and clinical benefits of the seaweed concentrate. Furthermore, the participation has supported Marinox in business development as it has opened up new market opportunities, given us important insights into the market for food raw materials and additives and also strong connections with new partners in research and business ".

A list of all participants and their reviews can be found on the leaflet Increased value of convenience foods by enrichment with marine based raw materials.

For further information dr. Kolbrún Sveinsdóttir, project manager of EnRichMar. More about EnRichMar.

The first recognition for good catch management has reached the right hands. The crew of Skúli ST-75 sent us nice pictures of how they handle fish.

Beautiful fish - well done fathers!

When the father and son Haraldur Vignir Ingólfsson and Ingólfur Árni Haraldsson on Skúli ST-75 from Drangsnes arrived in the harbor yesterday, their stronghold was waiting with Már Ólafsson, board member of the National Association of Small Boat Owners (LS) and Smábátafélagið Ströndur at the forefront. The occasion was to present them with a prize for the best footage of the month of May in "Beautiful fishLS and Matís' efforts. They were rewarded with the abandonment of a GoPro camera, along with a certificate of recognition.

Ingólfur Árni and Haraldur Vignir receive prizes from Már Ólafsson.

The campaign "Beautiful fish" is intended to promote increased awareness of the importance of good catch management and how important it is to practice good workmanship. By mobilizing fishermen in sharing pictures and stories where things are going well, LS and Matís hope to be able to do the best they can and at the same time encourage others to do the same.

With this recognition, LS and Matís want to increase awareness of the importance of good catch management and how important it is to pursue good work practices.

Sailors are encouraged to post photos and stories on the campaign's Facebook, Instagram or Twitter pages and get in the "pot" for the next award ceremony.

Dear sailors: please send in pictures that show exemplary workmanship, because the prize for the best pictures is not of the worse end.

Further instructions on participation can be found at http://www.matis.is/fallegurfiskur

In the past year, there has been vigorous strategic planning work at Matís. A very large part of the company's employees have been involved in this work, but in addition, work has been done in smaller groups and external assistance has been appreciated.

New emphases have emerged without having dropped from previous projects. Certain organizational changes have taken place as a result and Matís is now even better equipped to meet future challenges in the food and biotechnology industry, with an emphasis on increased value creation, increased food security and public health with strong support for our customers.

With new emphases, we would like to reiterate that Matís is a strong knowledge and science community based on strong research infrastructure and collaboration, with the aim of maximizing the impact of investments in research and innovation.

Matís' new organization chart.

At regular intervals, a service survey is conducted for customers of microorganisms and chemical measurements, services that are offered within Matís' measurement services division. The last survey was presented to customers a short time ago and it is safe to say that Matís' customers appreciate the service that the company offers. 

The results give a good overall picture of Matís 'customers' attitude towards the company's services. If some examples are taken from the results, the customers strongly agreed that Matís had met expectations regarding the quality and security of the results, as well as strongly agreed that the processing speed was good and strongly agreed that the employees had the knowledge and experience sought. In addition, customers strongly agreed that the approach of Matís employees is satisfactory, to name a few. 

These are really good results and Matís is a great encouragement. At the same time, it is an incentive to do better and serve our customers even better than we do now.

Overall results.

Various good and interesting comments were received from customers and we will try to respond to them as much as possible. The main comments were on the following points:

• Comments were received on the implementation of the survey. Suggestions were made that a greater breakdown of customers would have been desirable, and this will be taken into account when planning the next service survey.
• Requests for more types of chemical measurements were made. Although Matís has extensive and complete equipment, it is not possible to fully meet all requests, but on the other hand, Matís employees can find out and mediate in sending samples to sister institutions abroad in cases where it is not possible to offer on the relevant study here at home.
• Comments on guidelines and interpretation of results. It is not possible to send out reference values with results, but customers are encouraged to contact us either by e-mail or by telephone, and employees are both kind and obliged to assist in any way they can. Both in terms of interpretation and evaluation of results.
• Comment that Matís would set up a user area, where the customer would have access to everything regarding their research. This would certainly be possible and is both an ambitious and exciting but at the same time costly project that will hopefully become a reality in the future.
• An update of the request sheets was requested, but this is an issue that is being worked on.
• In addition, Matís received pleasing comments thanking for the good service, and it was clear that there is great satisfaction with the service. Matís' offices in Neskaupstaður.

Not only are the names of these units chemically similar, but their subject matter is in many respects the same; food! So it's not at all strange that people get confused. And to add gray on top of black, they are based or have a branch in almost the same area in Reykjavík.

MAST (Matvælastofnun): Matvælastofnun provides administration, control, education and services to fisheries, agriculture, companies and consumers in order to promote animal health and welfare, plant health and safety, health and quality of food. Location: Selfoss, a district of veterinarians nationwide and at Stórhöfði 23. Home page: www.mast.is

Matvís: MATVÍS is an association of craftsmen in the food and restaurant industry, ie bakers, cake makers, waiters, butchers, chefs, students and others who work with serving, cooking and selling food and the association decides to accept. Location: Stórhöfði 31. Home page: www.matvis.is

Matís (Matvælarannsóknir Íslands): Matís is a knowledge company that carries out diverse research, service and innovation work in the food and biotechnology industry. Matís provides advice and services to companies in the fisheries and agriculture sectors, as well as the Icelandic state. For example, Matís is involved in the development of new products and processes for companies and has an important role to play in terms of food quality and safety. Matís has no supervisory role. Location: Vínlandsleið 12 and in several places in the countryside. Home page: www.matis.is