Category: News

Recently, Margildi received a so-called A license issued by the Food Administration for the production, sale and distribution of fish oil from pelagic fish, but such a license allows them to export their products to other European countries.

Although it is not the intention to start large-scale production of fish oil here at Matarsmiðja Matís on Vínlandsleið, the permit is nevertheless a condition for being able to send products for promotion to both domestic and foreign markets. Margildi is the third company to receive an A license in Matarsmiðja Matís in Reykjavík. Arctic seafood was the first to receive such a license for its cancer processing and about a month ago, Trít received its A license, but Trít's main activity is to prepare food gift baskets. Trít's activities here at Matís are about the production of products from wild geese, such as goose beef and goose liver mousse, as well as accompanying side dishes such as onion jam and a special sauce.

The fact that three companies have export licenses to Europe for their products, in addition to which several entrepreneurs and small producers have a license from the Reykjavík Health Inspectorate, confirms that Matís' facilities on Vínlandsleið meet the requirements for food companies.

Licenses are granted in two ways in this country. Matvælastofnun supervises and issues operating licenses for products from the animal kingdom, while the Health Inspectorate grants licenses and supervises products from the plant kingdom. The subjects of those who have an operating license from the Health Inspectorate are of various kinds; Early whiskey production, beer brewing, chocolate making, cookie baking, dough making, mustard making, juicing and making buns, are examples of products that are already in production and expected in the coming weeks are snack making and dessert making.

For further information Óli Þór Hilmarsson at Matís and further information about Matís food factories can be found www.matis.is/matarsmidjur/

Alda Möller says something like this in an interesting interview with Intrafish recently. Intrafish is a news provider on fisheries issues, but Alda is a former employee of the Fisheries Research Institute (IFL is Matís' predecessor).

The interview is called "Women in Seafood" and can be found in its entirety at Intrafish website.

The International Scientific Journal Icelandic Agricultural Sciences, year 28/2015 is now fully completed on the publication's website http://www.ias.is, but Matís is one of its publishers.

The publication contains six articles, totaling 80 pages. This is also the first cohort where all articles have a so-called doi (digital object identifier) number that makes it easier for researchers around the world to find electronic versions of cited articles. With this change, IAS was also changed to pure electronic copy and is no longer printed. 

The latest article in year 28/2015 has just arrived on the web: Inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, fertilization and seed rates influence growth and development of lyme grass seedlings in two desert areas in Iceland by Úlf Óskarsson and Wolfgang Heyser. The article discusses the effects of fungal protein infection in the cultivation of weeds in two sandy areas in the South. In addition to the effects of the fungal protein infestation, the effects of different fertilizer and seed doses were also tested.

It was interesting that the fungal protein increased its growth in the first year but then its positive effect diminished and they disappeared over time and even became negative. However, fertilizer increased growth and sand accumulation more than other treatments, and re-fertilization had a greater effect on the size of the initial dose of fertilizer. It seemed most economical to use small doses of seeds and fertilizers in the beginning, but follow with moderate fertilizer for a few years after sowing.

This long-term study reported here is very interesting for those who cultivate land with weeds and use it to stop sand drifts and shows how necessary it is to follow revegetation experiments and revegetation for many years.

Ecotrophelia Iceland is a competition among university students in the development of environmentally friendly food. The competition involves developing marketable, environmentally friendly foods or beverages. The competition is held annually in the second half of May.

The registration of student groups who want to take part in the competition this year is currently underway. Each group may have two to ten students enrolled in tertiary education. They can be from any field of study, but it is desirable that someone in the group has knowledge of food. Students must not be 35 years of age or older. The winning team wins a grand prize and the right to take part in an international competition, Ecotrophelia Europe, https://eu.ecotrophelia.org/en/about-us , in Paris in October.

Guidance on the development process

Once the groups have registered for the game, they will have access to online teaching materials that will guide them through all aspects of the development process. The groups will be provided with facilities for practical tests.

The deadline for submitting registration is 31 January 2016.

Further information is provided by Gunnþórunn Einarsdóttir and the registrations for the competition will be sent to her: gunnthorunn.einarsdottir@matis.is

One of the issues that Matís oversees and builds on an old heritage is collaboration on the utilization of grain for food production. Agriculture in the North Atlantic countries has a cool climate and a short growing season for plants.

Despite this, farmers in Iceland have been cultivating grain in recent decades and have mastered the crop. Iceland is in the northern part of the cereal belt and from time to time weak grain-growing rivers occur. The Agricultural University of Iceland and its predecessor, the Agricultural Research Institute, Rala, have made grain cultivation in Iceland possible through grain breeding and the dissemination of knowledge to farmers. Cereal breeding began in the 1960s and the work has been continuous for more than 50 years. Breeding has been successful and varieties suitable for conditions in Iceland have emerged. The food department was operated within Rala from 1977 and with the cooperation of food scientists and farmers, interest was sparked in increasing the utilization of domestic grain for food production. Some activities within Matís can still be traced to Rala's food department and the knowledge that was built up there is constantly being developed.

In 2005, work began on projects aimed at utilizing domestic cereals for food production, and they were funded by the Agricultural Productivity Fund. This work then developed into co-operation between the North Atlantic countries, which was supported by Nordic co-operation and the Arctic Strategy.

Domestic grain is primarily barley, but it is well suited for a variety of foods. In bread it is used in conjunction with flour and the barley provides a good taste and health benefits such as beta-glucans which lower blood cholesterol and reduce blood sugar fluctuations. Other barley foods include biscuits, cereals, porridge and ready meals. Finally, barley is used to produce malt, which is one of the most important raw materials in brewing.

Global warming is changing growing conditions, and some crops in the southern hemisphere may be more difficult to grow than ever before. This creates increased pressure on feed and food production in the northern regions. Utilization of domestic grain increases food security and increases sustainability in food and feed production in Iceland.

For further information Ólafur Reykdal, food scientist at Matís.

Matís' annual report has been published. This time, the main subject of the report is the good foundation that has been built up by Matís and Matís' predecessors in recent decades. The importance of the institutions and companies that merged when Matís was founded in 2007 is still very much in Matís' operations to this day.

Matís Annual Report 2015

For further information Steinar B. Aðalbjörnsson, marketing director of Matís.

Matís' annual report has been published. This time, the main subject of the report is the good foundation that has been built up by Matís and Matís' predecessors in recent decades. The importance of the institutions and companies that merged when Matís was founded in 2007 is still very much in Matís' operations to this day.

The version quoted here is in English, but the Icelandic version will be published in the next few days.

Matís Annual Report 2015

Matís staff wishes its customers and all Icelanders a Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year.

Matís' switchboard and reception will be closed on 24 and 31 December. The direct telephone number for the microbiology department is 858-5116.

Information on other employees' telephone numbers can be found on our website, www.matis.is.

As in recent years, Matís does not send out traditional Christmas cards, but only cards in electronic form. Instead, Matís sponsors SKB, a sponsoring association for children with cancer.

It is Matís' wish that the grant be put to good use and further support the excellent work that is already being done at SKB.

Further information can be found on SKB's website, www.skb.is.

Matís and the Fisheries Research Institute before that have been partners in teaching at the United Nations University's School of Fisheries, UNU-FTP, from the beginning of the school's activities in 1998.

"The program emphasizes practical knowledge and experience, and students work closely with Icelandic instructors in project work and career presentations, which take up more than half of the six months that the program lasts. Each year, special studies are offered in 3-4 tracks, but the special studies last 4-5 months. Matís is in charge of teaching on a quality course, and there are between 5 and 10 students on that course. Every year, 15-20 Matís experts come for teaching and project instructions", says Heiða Pálmadóttir, subject manager at Matís.

It can be quite a puzzle to put together the program for the special course, "first there are lectures for 6 weeks and various people come and not just experts from Matís, but people from far and wide from the Icelandic fishing industry and related sectors such as transport and packaging. There are visits where companies welcome students, these are fun and informative visits for students and no less for accompanying persons. Fun discussions are created more during informal visits than when sitting in a lecture on the subject. I myself have found it fun and informative to go on these visits," says Heiða Pálmadóttir, who has been in charge of the classes for many years.

Benefits of the UNU-FTP school from the collaboration:

• Matís has a wide range of specialists with long experience in research and services in the fishing industry
• Matís' experts have good connections with the Icelandic fishing industry due to the small size of the country, from fishing to export and consumption.
• Matís' specialists collaborate in many ways with Icelandic universities and are connected to education in both undergraduate and graduate studies and form a bridge between industry and universities in Iceland.

Matís benefits from the collaboration:

• Matís contributes to development aid
• Matís' experts maintain links with the fishing industry and the fishing industry and preserve their basic knowledge in that field
• Creates new opportunities for increased projects in the international market

Students work on their final projects at Matís and this creates a connection with students who do not break up. Many return to further studies in Iceland, although some have entered doctoral and master's studies in recent years. By staying in Iceland for so long, a great and lasting connection is created between people. This has given rise to long-term projects and friendships.

"I have been in contact with students from SriLanka, he is setting up a quality system and sought advice on the implementation of individual measurements such as fish quality measurements and further explanations of methodology - this can be done via the Internet and takes little time for us to serve. Another example is a student in Kenya who has been in contact for fatty acid analysis, but she is particularly interested in increasing fish oil consumption, especially in young children and their mothers. Undeniably, one thinks of one's students when disaster strikes their nations, and one never knows what will happen to them, especially if the relationship is not stable. It was also a strong experience to receive students from North Korea and Cuba while the situation was at its worst," says Heiða.

"All of these are well-educated people in the beginning and extremely interested in learning and familiarizing themselves as best as possible with what we have to offer," says Heiða in conclusion.