Category: News

Development in accordance with the policy of the Science and Technology Policy Council

Icelanders; Icelandic companies and Icelandic universities, have increased the allocation of funds for research and innovation. Research and development pave the way for a vibrant economy for the future. Collaboration on research and development is important. It is important to maximize the impact of investment in research and innovation. It is important to have a solid and robust infrastructure for research and innovation.  

Accordingly the policy of the Science and Technology Policy Council the allocation of funds for research and innovation has increased. The policy of the Science and Technology Policy Council is that the share of research and development amounts to 3% of GDP. By way of comparison, in Japan, the public sector assumes 1% of GDP for research and development and the private sector provides 3% of GDP for research and development, as recently stated. Like Statistics Iceland reported October 11 and was specifically pointed out in the leader of Morgunblaðið on October 12, the activities of research and development work have increased in this country. In 2013 the ratio was 1,76%, in 2014 the ratio was 2,01% and last year the expenditure on research and development was about 2,19% of GDP. The increased activity of innovation can to some extent be traced to the policy of the Science and Technology Policy Council and the follow-up of that policy, but without continued research and development work on the existing pillars, the increase would hardly have been reflected in statistics.

Companies, including Matís, have greatly increased the allocation of funds for research and development. Companies spent ISK 12.7 billion more on innovation in 2015, while in 2013 the largest difference was ISK 6.2 billion in expenditure by foreign private parties, in 2015 it amounted to a total of ISK 9.8 billion, and ISK 6.1 billion more by domestic private parties. amounted to a total of ISK 17 billion in 2015. It can be concluded that almost ISK 700 million. The increase in public domestic funding for corporate innovation can be attributed to the policies of the Science and Technology Policy Council. The share of companies in research and development has grown from 56% in 2013 to 65% in 2015.

University institutions spent 2.3 billion more on research and innovation in 2015 than in 2013, private funding for these activities decreased by almost 400 million, the increase was supported by public domestic contributions of approx. 2.6 billion higher in 2015 than in 2013.

Other public institutions spent 78 million more on innovation in 2015 than in 2013, this increase is explained by the fact that foreign private funding increased by 280 million, and domestic private contributions increased by almost 30 million at the same time as public domestic funding decreased by 140 million and public foreign funding decreased by 90 million.

The statistics indicate that the unbearable lack of capital has not destroyed all the patience of investors and capital. The return on investment in research and development is at best uncertain at the beginning of innovation and requires patience. Patient capital is hardly a myth, although the amounts need to increase by 17.9 billion to reach 3% of GDP. It is clear that part of the funds that private parties contribute to the operation of research and development parties are to some extent.

International research and innovation collaboration plays a key role in dynamic research and development work in Iceland, where companies and the scientific community work together to strengthen and renew the economy. Foreign funding accounts for about a quarter of research and innovation work in Iceland. The competitiveness of the country and the nation is largely based on investments in research and innovation. In order to build the country's competitiveness, it is important to create a strong infrastructure for research and innovation that is comparable to that of foreign parties. Innovation and diversity are part of the impact of current variables (e. Trendsetters). Through international co-operation, Icelanders' ability to learn new things increases. In recent years, Matís has strived for quality research and development collaboration, which is increasingly supporting the company's operations. This development is reflected in the statistics, as foreign funding for Icelandic research and innovation. The Icelandic Research Center, Rannís, manages one of the largest single platforms for international research and innovation in which Icelanders participate, ie. Framework Programs for Research and Innovation in Europe, now called Horizon 2020, this platform has been particularly important for Matís' development work.

Iceland's participation in Horizon2020 projects until March 2016

According to information from Rannís, Iceland has been successful in funding research and development cooperation with support through Horizon2020. Together with the University of Iceland, Matís has been at the forefront of the energetic international collaboration of qualified Icelandic scientists with the support of Horizon2020. these two pillars of research and development in Iceland have significantly achieved good results for Iceland in this field (Hallgrímur Jónasson, Rannís March 2016). In 2015, Horizon 2020 received grants from Matís for 13% of public foreign funding for research and development work at companies in Iceland.

For further information, please contact Arnljótur B. Bergsson, Head of Implementation and Impact

Although Icelanders are at the forefront of utilization and value creation from marine resources, there is still room for improvement, with an emphasis on research, development and innovation contributing to sustainable value creation for the future. It is important to make good use of what is put into the cost of obtaining. Icelanders exported and consumed their own products from about 77% of the cod section in 2015 according to statistics.

More than four billion tonnes are produced from raw materials for food production annually, more than 1400 million of those raw materials are explicitly allocated to other than food production if possible. FoodOutlook compiled by the United Nations World Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), about 2.9 billion tonnes are spent on food production each year. It is known that world catch amounts to over 90 million tonnes, then farmed fish is estimated at 80 million tonnes this year, which is about 10% more than 2014. It is estimated that fish consumption has increased by 2.5% at the same time, consumption of wild seafood has decreased by 3%, to 9.7kg / person, while the consumption of farmed fish has increased by almost 8%, to 10.9kg / person. About 5% of the raw materials used for food production are caught or raised in water, but it is well known that about 70% of the earth's surface is covered with water.

This week, this and other related issues were discussed at a meeting Assessment in 2030 where it came to nutrition, climate, innovation and the cycle. Jónas Rúnar Viðarsson, professional leader of the safe food value chain at Matís, chaired a seminar on water food and new marine value chains (e. Aquatic food products and new marine value chains). Jónas gave an introductory talk where he went over the processing of fish by-products for the production of food and ingredients (e. Fish by-products processing for food and food ingredients). Referring to the research of Kelleher, from 2005, and Love, from 2015, Jónas pointed out (Figure 1) that probably only 21% catches are generally consumed as food. One of the most common manifestations of catfish products is fish fillets, which often amount to 35% of the total weight of fish. It is common for about 8% biomass to be lost at sea before landing, in processing known examples of 25-70% of landed catch being lost or not being used for food production. During distribution and sales, about 7% is lost from what has been produced, then it is estimated that about 28% is wasted in the hands of consumers.

Figure 1: Utilization of catch, how much goes to the courts and where

SINTEF's audit in Norway indicates that Norwegians use about 37% of by-products of landed whitefish, they use all of the pelagic catch and about 90% of by-products of farmed fish. Offshore, however, ships similar to MTr are built. Molnes that process all their catch on board, including all by-products. Jónas shed light on the development of affairs in this country. 

Icelanders use almost 57% by-products of traditional fillet processing from whole cod with the production of products such as marlin, heads, loins, roe, liver and fish oil. From 244 thousand tonnes of cod we export products from the processing of 178 thousand tonnes of cod, to which is added almost 4900 tonnes of cod consumed in this country. A total of 77% of the cod catch is exported (74%) as products or consumed in Iceland (3%), was 75% in 2013, 187 thousand tonnes in 2015 (Figure 2). 

Figure 2: Utilization of cod in 2015

The greatest value is generated from the sale of fillets, fresh (chilled), frozen almost 66 thousand tonnes and salted fillets as well as flat salted cod, a total of 94 thousand tonnes, which amounts to 39% of the catch. Products are produced from about 76 thousand tonnes of by-products of traditional cod fillet processing via the 31% catch. Statistics indicate that about 57 thousand tonnes of by-products of traditional cod fillet processing are not in the form of consumer goods. Therein lies the opportunity, to make more of what is drawn from the sea. The utilization of fish such as cod will hardly be economical until there is a demand for products made from the blood of cod, ie. with the production of products that meet unknown or as yet undefined needs. Due to food security, it will hardly be possible to use all fish for food production in the near future. Jónas also pointed out that European rules on discards contain provisions that work against the utilization of fish species that need protection but are addicted to fishing gear as by-catch.

Although the position in food production is acceptable in some places today, there is a need to consider demographic trends, trends and market trends. Jónas pointed out that different age combinations of nations need different products than we are used to today. In most places, expenditure on health care is increasing faster than the growth of the economies of the same countries. Such a development means that future generations can hardly expect the same services in the future as we now enjoy or have enjoyed recently. Therefore, future generations will have to eat right. Seafood can be useful there, if consumed in moderation and in the right way. In this context, Jónas considers the possible emergence of a large new market in the middle between the pharmaceutical sector and companies that produce consumer products, which revolves around the integration of bulk products markets and markets that are characterized by shelf products (e. niche) on the one hand and the interplay of the characteristics of the products on the other hand Figure 3. At the meeting, definitions and the need for health services to focus on health and not diseases were discussed (e. Healthcare rather than sickcare) A lot of energy, a lot of money and a lot of time would go into dealing with the consequences, the illness and or the symptoms of the disease, less would be put into health and wellness. Whether high-tech health centers will be built in Iceland instead of hospitals, time will probably tell. 

Figure 3: Hypothesis of market development based on AT Kearney analysis

The challenges ahead are great. In this context, it is important to invest in talent and infrastructure so that so much fish can be lost before consumers get the weather out of fish history, as has happened over the years. In this way, the right supply of the right education for the right people must be ensured so that more of the catch can be utilized, food production from fish can be increased and more value can be made from the catch. Good first-hand workmanship is important for value creation at later stages.

For further information, please contact Arnljótur B. Bergsson, Head of Implementation and Impact

On October 20, a conference will be held under the title Food research in a changing world, where national research and new trends in food science will be presented.

Food Day 2016 held at Hotel Natura on October 20 at 12-17.

The keynote speaker will be Bryndís Skúladóttir from the Confederation of Icelandic Industries, which deals with food production and the environment and Hörður Kristinsson, Director of Research and Innovation at Matís, discusses new and revolutionary technologies in food production. A number of other interesting lectures will be at the conference, but the full program can be seen here.

Food science and food production face new and challenging challenges related to, among other things, limited resources and the increase in the world's population, which places greater demands on the quality and hygiene of food. What will our food look like in the future, and by what means can we feed the world for decades to come? So much so, it is certain that research plays a key role in finding the answers to these questions. Ingenious use of resources, hygiene and the environment will be the focus of food development in the coming decades, and this will be discussed at the conference held by the Icelandic Food and Nutrition Association, MNI.

Fjöregg Samtaka iðnaðarinn, which is awarded for a praiseworthy initiative in the field of food, will be presented at the conference.

The conference is open to everyone and is registration on the MNÍ website.

For further information:

Guðjón Þorkelsson, Professor Faculty of Food and Nutrition, tel. 858 5044 gudjont@matis.is

María Guðjónsdóttir, Associate Professor, Faculty of Food and Nutrition, mariagu@hi.is

Laufey Steingrímsdóttir, chairman of MNI, phone 6963564 laufey@hi.is

Erla Rán Jónsdóttir and Anna Birna Björnsdóttir will give lectures on their master's projects in Matís at Vínlandsleið 12, on Monday 17 October. Dr. Hrönn Ólína Jörundsdóttir, division manager at Matís, is an examiner at Erla Rán, while Sigurjón Arason, chief engineer at Matís and associate professor at the University of Iceland, supervised Anna Birna in her project.

When does this event start: October 17, 2016 - 1:00 p.m.
Further location: Matís room 312. Vínlandsleið 12 Reykjavík

First, Erla Rán Jónsdóttir will give a lecture on her MS project: Health-damaging substances in plastic packaging. Measurements of water from plastic bottles sold in Iceland. 

Then Anna Birna Björnsdóttir will give a lecture on the MS project: Variability of cod and saithe liver according to the season, chemical and physical properties.

NordBio, the project of the Icelandic Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers, is about to end. On that occasion, a conference was held in Harpa last week under the title "Minding the future", Which can be translated into Icelandic as"The future matters”.

Very exciting lectures were offered at the conference, but you can access them all Youtube. It was also possible to view the results of the project part of the plan, where projects such as Biophilia, Ermond, Innovation in the Nordic Bioeconomy, Marina and Woodbio. It was also possible to view and taste food made in the project, but Greenlandic, Faroese and Icelandic small food producers allowed visitors and pedestrians to taste their products.

During the Icelandic Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2014, the aim was to take advantage of the enormous potential of building a bioeconomy in the Nordic countries. NordBio

The program was for three years and was launched as part of the Icelandic presidency program. NordBio combines a number of different projects and divisions, with the aim of improving the utilization of resources and minimizing waste.

The goal of NordBio

• To develop and improve methods of sustainable production and product utilization with a view to stimulating innovation and the economy, and reducing the environmental impact in the Nordic countries.
• To strengthen knowledge that is useful for economic and environmental policy-making by increasing collaboration in the fields of research, development and innovation.
• · To promote innovation in energy efficiency, food security and public health, and to facilitate Nordic production in the markets to meet the growing food needs that accompany world population growth.
• To present the results of projects in the field of education on sustainable development.
• To make research and university work in the fields of sustainable production and utilization more attractive in the eyes of future generations.
• To bring together the practice of science, technology and culture at the various school levels, within institutions as well as the business community.
• To offer a common Nordic forum for co-operation and exchange of views for different age groups and experts from various backgrounds.

It is safe to say that it was a success and many people made their way to Harpa to listen to all the lectures and no less to taste the delicacies offered by Nordic small producers.

More information can be found at www.nordbio.org.

On October 20, a conference will be held under the title Food research in a changing world, where national research and new trends in food science will be presented.

Food Day 2016 held at Hotel Natura on October 20 at 12-17.

The keynote speaker will be Bryndís Skúladóttir from the Confederation of Icelandic Industries, which deals with food production and the environment and Hörður Kristinsson, Director of Research and Innovation at Matís, discusses new and revolutionary technologies in food production. A number of other interesting lectures will be at the conference, but the full program can be seen here.

Food science and food production face new and challenging challenges related to, among other things, limited resources and the increase in the world's population, which places greater demands on the quality and hygiene of food. What will our food look like in the future, and by what means can we feed the world for decades to come? So much so, it is certain that research plays a key role in finding the answers to these questions. Ingenious use of resources, hygiene and the environment will be the focus of food development in the coming decades, and this will be discussed at the conference held by the Icelandic Food and Nutrition Association, MNI.

Fjöregg Samtaka iðnaðarinn, which is awarded for a praiseworthy initiative in the field of food, will be presented at the conference.

The conference is open to everyone and is registration on the MNÍ website.

For further information:

Guðjón Þorkelsson, Professor Faculty of Food and Nutrition, tel. 858 5044 gudjont@matis.is

María Guðjónsdóttir, Associate Professor, Faculty of Food and Nutrition, mariagu@hi.is

Laufey Steingrímsdóttir, chairman of MNI, phone 6963564 laufey@hi.is

In recent weeks, Matís has worked with Skotta Film on the production of a virtual reality video about the bioeconomy. The bioeconomy is a concept that few people know, so it was ideal to explain the concept in a new and interesting way that could impress as many people as possible, especially the younger generation. We are extremely proud of this video and aim to produce more such videos in the coming weeks and months. The videos can be found at Youtube channel Matís and you can drag the video if the virtual reality glasses are not present.

Why a bioeconomy? What is a bioeconomy?

Few people know what is meant by the word bioeconomy and many are therefore of limited interest in the subject. Here is a concept that should be important to all Icelanders because the nation, like other western nations, is relying on non-recyclable resources, not least in food production. It is important to look at these things from a different perspective and try our best to implement a way of thinking that promotes the utilization of resources that can be reused. The bioeconomy is in fact a concept that encompasses everything that nature has to offer; from what man can do and is capable of doing to microbes becoming the basis of all future plastic production!

Will we drink water in the future from plastic bottles produced by bacteria ……… 🙂

Clear and concise: A bioeconomy is an economy based on the exploitation of living resources on land and at sea, where efforts are made to maximize benefits without depleting the resources.
 
This year marks the end of the three-year Icelandic Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers, which began in 2014 when Iceland held the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. On that occasion, a conference is convened in Harpa, where there is a unique opportunity to learn about the bioeconomy and the NordBio projects, hear about international trends and trends in this field and discuss what the future should look like.

The conference takes place in Harpa and in addition to lectures, poster exhibitions, virtual reality video exhibitions, guests are given the opportunity to taste products that have been produced from the Nordic region's bioeconomy; Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Iceland, for example.

See more about the conference.

Today, Friday 7 October, Árný Ingveldur Brynjarsdóttir holds her master's defense in resource studies. The defense starts at 11:00 and will be in room M-201 in Sólborg, but the aim of the project was, among other things, to determine the extraction method and measure the bioactivity in the Icelandic Christmas tree.

Master defense in the resources department

Árný's project is entitled "Seasonal and In-Plant Variation in Composition and Bioactivity of Northern Dock (Rumex longifolius DC.) Extracts “. The aim of the project was to determine the extraction method and measure the bioactivity in the Icelandic Christmas tree and to examine whether there was a foothold for the properties that traditional

Icelandic naturopathy. Two different extraction methods were examined, three extraction fluids (methanol, ethanol and water), different plant parts (roots, leaves and seeds), different processing methods (fresh, freeze-dried and air-dried) and three different harvest times (June, July and August) and measured antioxidants. anti-inflammatory properties show.

Rumex Longifolius Njóli | Rumex Longifolius.

Most of the work took place at the University of Akureyri, but measurements were partly carried out in collaboration with Matís' specialists. Árny graduated with a B.Sc. degree in biotechnology from the Department of Natural Resources University of Akureyri in the spring of 2013.

The project supervisors were Eva Kuttner project manager at Matís and Rannveig Björnsdóttir, associate professor at the Faculty of Natural Resources at the University of Akureyri.

The opponent is Sesselja Ómarsdóttir, director of quality research at Alvotech and professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy University of Iceland.

The NordBio conference starts tomorrow and is the culmination of the three-year Icelandic Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. In parallel with the conference, there will be exhibitions / presentations of products that small producers worked on within the program, poster presentations and presentations of virtual reality material about the bioeconomy. Admission to these shows / promotions is free.

The exhibitions will be on Eyrinn, which is a 300 square meter space, located on the second floor of Harpa.

Virtual reality technology used for teaching at Árskóli in Sauðárkrókur (photo from the RÚV website, www.ruv.is, more: http://ruv.is/frett/360-gradu-syndarveruleiki-a-saudarkroki).

What do the titles above have in common? Of course, these are the topics of two lectures that take place today and are both related to Matís. The lectures are part of a master's degree for two students in food science at the University of Iceland.

MS lecture in food science
Dagný Björk Aðalsteinsdóttir

Matís, Room 312. Vínlandsleið 14 Reykjavík
October 3, 2016 at 14: 00-15: 00

Isolation, hydrolysis and bioactivity of cod liver collagen
“Isolation, hydrolysis and bioactive properties of collagen from cod skin”.

The objectives of this project can be divided into three steps. The first step was to find a method to isolate collagen from cod skin with good yields, the second step was to hydrolyze collagen with different enzymes to obtain the highest DH value and the third step was to measure the bioactivity of collagen peptides. The aim was to investigate the effect of different DH values on bioactivity. The enzymes selected for the hydrolysis were: Alcalase, Flavourzyme, Neutrase, Protamex, Tail-37 and TZ-02-L and the bioactivity measurements performed: ACE-inhibiting, elastase-inhibiting, Metal Chelating, ORAC and Reducing power.

The isolation step was successful and collagen was isolated from the cod skin with good yields. The collagen was hydrolyzed by different enzymes and the type and proportion of enzymes affected the degree of hydrolysis and bioactivity. The results showed low values in antioxidant measurements, but the results also showed that collagen from cod skin can have an inhibitory effect on elastase and have a good effect on the skin.

Project for a master's degree in food science worked on at Matís in collaboration with Codland with support from Nordic Innovation.

Supervisors: Margrét Geirsdóttir MSc Matís and Sigurjón Arason Professor at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition and Chief Engineer at Matís.

Examiner: Þórhallur Ingi Halldórsson Professor at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition

MS lecture in food science
Ásgeir Jónsson

Matís, Room 312. Vínlandsleið 14 Reykjavík
October 3, 2016 at 15: 00-16: 00

Best sea transport of fresh fish fillets and pieces. Quality and cost
“Optimized Sea Transport of Fresh Fillets and Loins. Quality and Cost ”.

The aim of this project is to analyze the development of transport of fresh fillets and pieces from Iceland in recent years. Also to evaluate its effect on quality and shelf life when packing a fresh product in the traditional way in a foam box compared to packing it in an ice scraper in a tub. Finally, to compare the packaging and transportation costs of these two packaging methods.

The results show that the amount of fresh fillets and pieces transported by ship from Iceland almost increased sixfold from 2004 to 2014. In 2013 and 2014, about 90% of the fresh fillets and pieces transported by ship were transported to two markets; Britain and France. The results of research show that there is a strong positive relationship between longer shelf life and packing a product in an ice scraper in a pot compared to a foam box. The ice scraper also made up for the lack of pre-cooling before packing. The results of a cost analysis show that it is considerably cheaper to pack a product in a pot than a foam box. Transport costs are also lower in most cases when pots are compared to foam boxes. More than half as low if you compare the cost of transporting a full container of pots on the one hand and 3 kg foam boxes on the other. However, the flexibility of using pots is much less and this reduces the possibilities of use

Project for a master's degree in food science worked on at Matís in collaboration with Sæplast, ThorIce, Eimskip, Samskip and the Westfjords Fisheries Cluster with the support of the AVS Fisheries Research Fund.

Supervisors: Dr. Björn Margeirsson, Matís consultant, Sigurjón Arason, professor at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition and chief engineer at Matís, and Ögmundur Knútsson, president of the School of Business and Science at the University of Akureyri.

Examiner: Daði Már Kristófersson Professor and President of the School of Social Sciences at the University of Iceland.