Category: News

The Boston Fisheries Exhibition takes place 6-8. March nk. A number of Icelandic companies will be at the exhibition, including Martak, Skaginn / 3X, Fjarðarlax, HB Grandi, Sæplast, Marel and Matís, to name a few.

The exhibition is the largest of its kind in South, Central and North America, and this venue is important to many Icelandic companies in expanding their premises and increasing co-operation.

Matís will be in a common booth with Íslandsstofa and other companies and the booth is number 2555.

For more information Arnljótur Bjarki Bergsson, division manager and Steinar B. Aðalbjörnsson, marketing director of Matís.

The HACCP book which is now published on the web is intended as a support material for those who want to get acquainted with HACCP and the installation of such a system in fisheries companies. This educational material is part of the dissemination of knowledge to those responsible for safe food production.

Ensuring the safety of consumers and ensuring that everyone can be sure that the food on offer is safe is not a simple matter. Every year, thousands in the wider world die because of poor eating habits. It must be borne in mind that some groups of consumers are more vulnerable than others, such as young children and people with underlying diseases.

Therefore, the whole process of each production must be reviewed and all available means must be taken to ensure that food consumers are not harmed because the production process was not carried out correctly. It is and will be a responsibility to produce food, and it is therefore necessary to set a clear framework for all aspects of food processing, and the public interest and consumer safety must be the guiding principle.

Páll Gunnar Pálsson, a food scientist, wrote the text and set up the manual, Margeir Gissurarson, a food scientist, was involved in the planning of the material, read over the entire material and shared his knowledge and experience.

The preparation of this handbook was funded by Matís with good support from the Herring Industry Research Fund.

At Matís, you can get a lot of information about most everything related to seafood and all the company's employees are invited and prepared to do better in cooperation with the Icelandic seafood industry.

In Matís' premises at Vínlandsleið 12, there is a glass cabinet that does not show much at first glance. On closer inspection, however, it turns out that inside the cupboard you will find a large number of products that Matís' partners have developed and come in consumer packages. Of course, there is little space in such a cabinet and not all the products of partners that fit there.

In the good cupboard you can now find rhubarb caramel from Löngumýri in Skeiðar, skyr confectionery from Rjómabúið in Erpsstaðir, UNA skincare products from algae, smoked fish from Reykhöll Gunna á Rif, birch syrup from Holt and Heiðar in Hallormsstaður, gourmet Iceland mustard from Sólakri mustard from Sóla with an old method from TrueWestfjords and local pasta to name a few. Margildi was joining the group with its product line, which produces fish oil from capelin, herring and mackerel.

Larger equipment and solutions that Matís has worked on through its collaboration with the fishing industry cannot be found in this cabinet, as some of these equipment are very large and heavy and in some cases entire factories!

But the cabinet has been named the Glass Cabinet and it can be said with truth that it is like "Glass of fame" here at Matís.

Matís has historically played an important role among companies in the fisheries sector. In part, this can be said about agriculture, especially recently when it comes to small-scale food production, and Matís' food factories are an important link in that.

Matís' role in research and innovation in the fisheries sector is at least diminishing, as progress in the industry is great and companies and individuals in the fisheries sector do well to make full use of everything that is provided and get the best possible price for everything that goes on the market by offering first-class raw materials and products from the sea around Iceland.

But there are far fewer who know about Matís' success in international research and innovation. In this field, Matís has shown the ability and talent to be a strong participant in research projects and has in many cases managed or led large international projects, especially projects that have focused on fish and fisheries. Examples of such projects are EcoFishMan, MareFrame, DiscardLess and PrimeFish.

 _{From the MareFrame project meeting in Romania.}

There are considerable benefits from these projects for Matís and all Icelanders, but in addition to significant funds that result in increased employment of researchers in Iceland, knowledge is created in these projects that translates directly into the Icelandic research and business community.

Further information on Matís' project participation can be found in the leaflet International Cooperation & Research Projects and on www.horizon2020.is.

The Circumpolar Agricultural Association (CAA) is an organization of individuals in all Arctic countries. The association's conferences are held every three years and the ninth conference will be held in Reykjavík from 6 to 8 October 2016.

The topics of the conference will be:

The role of agriculture in the Arctic bioeconomy

The bioeconomy is based on organic resources and more and more attention has been paid to this approach in recent years. Agriculture needs to take advantage of the attention that the bioeconomy receives, because the green bioeconomy is primarily about agriculture and its products.

The conference will focus on regional production that strengthens dispersed settlements, food production in the Arctic, tourism and innovation that responds to changing circumstances. Special emphasis will be placed on promoting good results that have been achieved in one area and that others can benefit from.

A food exhibition organized by the final conference of the NordBio program will be included in the agenda. On October 8, an excursion will take place where guests will get to know Icelandic agriculture.

Further information can be found on the conference website: www.caa2016.com and information can also be found on the conference's Facebook page.

The conference has been held once before in Iceland, but it was in 2001. The conference was called "Legacy and Vision in Northern Agriculture" and was intended to draw attention to the interplay of history and culture with the foundations of agriculture.

For further information Ólafur Reykdal at Matís.

Martak ehf. which specializes in solutions for food processing, especially shrimp processing, and the research company Matís have entered into a framework agreement to strengthen knowledge in the processing of marine products.

This is a strategic framework agreement that aims to increase the utilization of raw materials, extend the life of a manufactured product, increase the utilization of what is generated during production, so-called additional raw materials, and reduce energy and water needs at all stages of production. According to Martaks and Matís, there are great opportunities in improving the current processing processes for the processing of marine products and thus reducing the environmental impact of the production. "As an ambitious company that constantly looks to improve its own production and promote efficiency and utilization of our customers, we consider it very important to have access to the knowledge and professionalism that Matís has," says Stefán Haukur Tryggvason, CEO of Martaks.

_{Knowledge and production collaboration: Sveinn Margeirsson, CEO of Matís and Stefán Haukur Tryggvason, CEO of Martak, sign a strategic agreement on the companies' collaboration on the development of production solutions that increase efficiency and utilization of raw materials and save energy and water.}

In addition, Matís will be on hand for Martaki regarding application writing for technology, science and innovation funds, and Matís will provide advice on, among other things, which funds are most likely to apply to and how best to handle those applications. "For us, it is important to combine knowledge and production to promote development in the food industry. One of our goals is to promote innovation in the food industry and therefore it is invaluable to work with a progressive company in the field of production solutions in the food industry, "says Sveinn Margeisson, CEO of Matís.

Matís is a powerful knowledge company that handles a variety of research, service and innovation 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.

Martak ehf. is one of the most powerful export companies in Iceland and a leader in the development and production of solutions and equipment for processing seafood, especially shrimp products. The company employs ambitious staff with extensive experience in solutions for the food industry. The company has two offices, product development, manufacturing, sales and service in Iceland and service and sales in Canada, as well as agents and distributors in the United States and across Europe.

For further information, contact Stefán Haukur Tryggvason at tel. 422-1800 and Sveinn Margeirsson at tel. 422-5000.

The WhiteFishMall project has just been completed, with the aim of ensuring even further differentiation of North Atlantic catfish from cheaper whitefish species, which are now flowing into our main market areas, in particular the UK market.

Work on the project began in early 2012 and market research has been conducted in the UK among fish consumers, in addition to which interviews and meetings have been held with parties working in this sector in processing, sales and marketing. The attitudes of focus groups made up of typical fish consumers in the UK have been explored towards North Atlantic catfish products and how their experience in shopping, cooking and consumption can be improved.

More information about the WhiteFishMall project can be found at project website but the final report can be found at Nordic Innovation website.

For further information, contact Matís Jónas R. Viðarsson.

Margrét Eva Ásgeirsdóttir gives a lecture on anti-diabetic activity in seaweed (Fucus vesiculosus) and pine bark examined using a 3T3-L1 fat cell model. The lecture takes place in Verinun, Vísindagörður located in Sauðárkrókur. You can follow the lecture at Matís' headquarters at Vínlandsleið 12, on Thursday 4 February at 10: 00-11: 00 (hall: Esja-311).

The aim was to investigate the effects of seaweed and pine bark extracts on fat accumulation in the 3T3-L1 fat cell model, their inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase and their antioxidant activity.

Three seaweed extracts inhibited fat accumulation in the 3T3-L1 cells without affecting their survival, and F. vesiculosus water extract showed the best activity with a 35% inhibition at a concentration of 0.1 mg / mL. F. Vesiculosus acid extract also showed good activity with 19% inhibition in the same concentration. In addition, both seaweed and pine bark extracts had strong antioxidant activity as well as inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase. The pine bark had the highest antioxidant activity in ORAC with 2869 µmol TE / g and the same extract had good inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase with 1.3 µg / mL IC50 value.

Further research is needed to identify the processes that inhibit fat accumulation. In vivo studies can also provide information on whether these effects could also occur in living organisms. This could lead to the development and production of supplements that could be used to prevent obesity and the related metabolic diseases.

Projects for a master's degree in food science worked on Matís Biotechnology Center in Sauðárkrókur.

Supervisors: dr. Eva Küttner , dr. Hörður G. Kristinsson and dr. Björn Viðar Aðalbjörnsson

Examiner: dr. Margrét Helga Ögmundsdóttir

Last week there was an interview with Ásthildur Björgvinsdóttir but her company, Ástrík, www.astrik.is, produces popcorn with caramel and sea salt, among other things. At the end of the interview, Ásthildur talked a bit about Matís and said that the company was "genius".

After this interview, everything went wrong at Matís when asked how the company can help entrepreneurs and smaller companies to bring food ideas to the production stage or bring less service to larger units for sale in Iceland and abroad.

But how can Matís help?

As Ásthildur put it, Matís is a brilliant company that enables parties to use legal and certified facilities, helps in these matters to begin with and provides suggestions and offers assistance.

We are not going to protest these words! 🙂

Want to know more about how Matís can help? Then take a look at our site, www.marsmidjan.is.

For further information Óli Þór Hilmarsson at Matís.

The interview with Ásthildur can be found on Bylgjan's website, www.bylgjan.is.

Lilja Rut Traustadóttir will give a lecture for a master's degree at the University of Iceland on 3 February. but her research is based on the methodology of total consumption research. The results of the study can be used for policy-making in public health and especially as advice to young women on the health of seafood.

The lecture will take place in Askja, room N-132, on February 3 at 15-16.

On research on the total consumption of foreign substances

Matís is a participant in an interesting European project (www.tds-exposure.eu) where methods will be developed to estimate the amount of unwanted contaminants people get from food.

The project is called Total Diet Study Exposure Study, and is working in collaboration with 19 European countries and the project is partly funded by the 7th European Research Program (FP7).

Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir, director of Matís, is Matís' main contact in this project and she provides further information about the research.