Category: News

Belt algae can be found in many parts of the country (Saccharina latissima) in considerable quantities but probably nowhere is there as much of it as in Breiðafjörður. There have been ideas about the possible utilization of belt kelp, so research was undertaken on the things that need to be kept in mind in order to get the best possible product from the raw material.

The seaweed's harvest season is in May and June, but then it is free of hay for the most part. The seaweed was found to have different chemical content according to its age, young seaweed contained less protein and salt than year-old seaweed collected at the same time, but iodine levels were higher in younger seaweed. Considerable differences were found in appearance, taste and texture after the treatment the seaweed received.

Proper harvest time and handling can therefore have a decisive effect on the quality of the raw material and the products made from it.

The project was funded by the AVS fund and worked in collaboration with Matís and Íslenskr bláskeljar in Stykkishólmur. A report on the project can be found at Matís website, provides further information Þóra Valsdóttir at Matís.

To improve coherence and synergy in biotechnology issues and pave the way for further innovation, the European Union established the European Bioeconomic Council, European Bioeconomy Panel. Matís' director of research, Herður G. Kristinsson, was invited to sit on the council, but it is a great honor, not only for Matís but also for the Icelandic scientific community.

The European Bioeconomy Council is a forum for discussion of the bioeconomy as a whole - from primary production to consumer markets - taking into account the complex interplay of social and economic factors and the changes they can bring about.

When we talk about the bioeconomy, we mean the food industry, feed production, forestry, fisheries, agriculture, aquaculture and the biochemical industry. European countries are making great efforts to increase co-operation between those who produce, manage and utilize organic resources or engage in other activities based on them. This refers to sectors such as food production, fisheries, agriculture, forestry, aquaculture and other related sectors. The Bioeconomics Council consists of 30 experts, all of whom are experts in their field within bioeconomics.

Hörður G. Kristinsson, director of research, says that since the establishment of the Bioeconomy Council, discussions about the bioeconomy have increased significantly. "The bioeconomy touches on many areas and the Bioeconomy Council is therefore an important tool for supporting communication between issues. Europe 2020 is the European Union's 10 - year strategy, which aims to promote sustainable economic growth within the Union. One of the focus areas of the strategy is sustainable growth, climate change, green energy, better energy utilization and increased market competitiveness. The European Bioeconomic Council was established to work on issues belonging to this category. Here at Matís, we still focus on talking about both green and blue growth ", says Hörður. "Blue growth refers to the sea and fresh water and is important for Iceland and our neighbors who share the resources of the Atlantic with us, but there are great opportunities for sustainable utilization and added value. Cooperation between green and blue growth is also important as there is often a strong link between land and sea riches. Those who work in these fields can learn a lot from each other and present new ideas from one field to another. The European Bioeconomy Council will facilitate this technology transfer and information sharing between sectors. "

Europeans need to rethink

"Europe is facing numerous challenges at the moment, population growth, rising age and age-related diseases, climate-related issues, the depletion of natural resources and growing environmental pressures. Europeans therefore need to rethink how they treat nature and radically change their approach to production, consumption, processing, storage, recycling and disposal of organic resources. Our goal is to maintain a healthy and sustainable bioeconomy in Europe and thus have a positive impact on the continent's population. Such challenges can, however, be inspiring and give rise to new ideas and discoveries. The bioeconomy will support industrial development in rural areas and lead to population growth. It will also make Europeans think about the need to improve the management of renewable resources and make them more aware of how they are increasingly impacting the bioeconomy and how it is opening up new markets for sustainable food and biotechnology products. It is also necessary for people in the primary processing industries to look at what they can do to make the production sustainable and environmentally friendly. " says Hörður. "When proposals are made for new foods and new ingredients and producers point out the need for sustainability, it is not only important to think about environmental protection but also food safety and safe food."

Hörður says that the European bioeconomy also encourages the establishment of bioeconomy councils in individual countries and regions. "The importance of better and increased sustainability around biological resources has never been more important than now and requires increased participation of the research community, companies and governments. There is a need for increased innovation and added value to make full use of limited resources. Cooperation between countries is the key to achieving goals and meeting increased requirements for organic production. Many countries share the same resources, so it is important to establish consistent policies and procedures. For example, the Nordic countries are working on the establishment of a bioeconomy council that sets a coordinated policy for the biological resources of the Arctic. It is also very important for us to work closely with other countries, for example our neighbors to the west, the United States and Canada, but we share many resources with them and face similar challenges".

Diverse resources

"One of the biggest tasks of the European Bioeconomy Council is to form a Bioeconomy Observatory, whose goal will be to map and monitor the progress and impact of the European bioeconomy and to work on a long-term strategy that benefits the development of the bioeconomy. We have also done a lot of work on definitions and mapping and put forward proposals regarding the biomass available in Europe. This work is very important for the sustainable and profitable use of biological resources. Our biological resources are diverse and touch many aspects of food, feed, energy and pharmaceutical and agricultural production. In this assessment, we have had to take into account various economic, social and environmental factors, and this has made the work quite complicated. Our goal is to present to the European Union priority proposals on the supply and use of biomass," says Hörður.

The European Bioeconomy Council has presented a policy and action plan based on this Framework Program for Research and Technological Development (FP7) and EU Framework Program for Research and Innovation (Horizon 2020).

The main theme of this year's report is largely related to the bioeconomy, but this year was the year of Iceland's presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers, followed by a three-year presidency program on the bioeconomy.

Matís has worked closely with the Icelandic government on the implementation of the plan, as the bioeconomy is the basis for most of the company's research and innovation projects. The main task of the Presidency this year was to innovate in the Nordic bioeconomy in order to strengthen regional economic growth.

Matís will lead innovation and product development projects that will be carried out in the field of bioeconomy under the presidency program. Sigrún Elsa Smáradóttir, Head of Business Development, is the project manager.

Matís Annual Report 2014

These are projects that focus on innovation and increased sustainability in food production, increased production of biomass, including for biomass plants, and the utilization of new technology, including biotechnology, to increase value in the utilization of organic resources. Matís has already achieved good results in increasing the value of underutilized resources and looking for ways to improve the utilization of the resources that are already being utilized by conducting active research and innovation as well as supporting entrepreneurs. The innovation projects within the presidency program are thus a natural continuation of that work, they connect Icelandic and Nordic knowledge with the aim of identifying opportunities, reducing waste and increasing value in the bioeconomy.

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

Cooperation with educational institutions and vocational training for students is one of the important aspects of Matís' operations. In doing so, Matís is not only making it easier for students and recent graduates to gain opportunities for further knowledge acquisition, but Matís is following up on its emphasis on research and innovation in the field of food for the benefit of the economy, public health and food safety.

A fun interview with Ásta Heiðrún E. Pétursdóttir was recently published in JASS News in Scotland. Ásta is a post-doc at Matís but was studying for a doctorate at the University of Aberdeen.

In the interview, Ásta says, among other things, that when she made the decision to go to Scotland to study, she thought that the two countries, Iceland and Scotland, were not so different now - rain, wind, mountains and sheep!

The full interview can be read on the web JAAS News.

In 1999, after Holskefla Campylobacter-infections in Iceland, control of chickens was increased. Today, samples are taken from the groups of all farmed chickens on the way to slaughter 2-5 days before the planned slaughter. If the bacterium is detected, all the chicken from the relevant group is frozen after slaughter.

The reason for choosing this route was based on research conducted by the predecessors of the laboratories that merged in Matís and showed that freezing reduced the bacterium by up to 99%. This greatly reduced the risk associated with the treatment of chickens and the cross-contamination of the bacterium in other foods.  

As frozen poultry products are sold at much lower prices than fresh ones, the freezing requirement led poultry farmers to tighten all preventive measures, which thus very quickly reduced the pollution of farming groups. These measures, in addition to educating the public on the proper handling of raw chicken products, have meant that today the annual number of diagnosed cases of national origin in humans is only a fraction of what was diagnosed in 1999 and the number of farming groups diagnosed with the bacterium is also only a small fraction. of what was before the freezing requirement was introduced in 2000.

Through these measures, Iceland has created a unique position when it comes to scarcity Campylobacter-infections, but no other country has managed to reduce the number of cases of infection in the same way and in such a short time as happened in Iceland. This success has attracted a great deal of attention, and other countries, including Norway, have been working on setting up a similar system of intervention measures.

For further information Franklin Georgsson, Head of Measurement and Communication at Matís.

Matís' annual report for the operating year 2014 has now been published. The annual report is in English but the report will be available in Icelandic in the coming weeks.

The main theme of this year's report is largely related to the bioeconomy, but this year was the year of Iceland's presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers, followed by a three-year presidency program on the bioeconomy. Matís has worked closely with the Icelandic government on the implementation of the plan, as the bioeconomy is the basis for most of the company's research and innovation projects. The main task of the Presidency this year was to innovate in the Nordic bioeconomy in order to strengthen regional economic growth.

Matís will lead innovation and product development projects that will be carried out in the field of bioeconomy under the presidency program. Sigrún Elsa Smáradóttir, Head of Business Development, is the project manager.

These are projects that focus on innovation and increased sustainability in food production, increased production of biomass, including for biomass plants, and the utilization of new technology, including biotechnology, to increase value in the utilization of organic resources. Matís has already achieved good results in increasing the value of underutilized resources and looking for ways to improve the utilization of the resources that are already being utilized by conducting active research and innovation as well as supporting entrepreneurs. The innovation projects within the presidency program are thus a natural continuation of that work, they connect Icelandic and Nordic knowledge with the aim of identifying opportunities, reducing waste and increasing value in the bioeconomy.

Matís Annual Report 2014

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

Matís is closely involved with many agriculture breeding projects, helping farmers to improve their stocks; Matís performs the genetic analysis of the Icelandic horse for the WorldFengur database. WorldFengur is the official FEIF register of the Icelandic horse breed.

The database was established in year 2000, and consists of unique DNA identification of each horse, pedigree information, and information on breeders, owners, offspring's records, photos, results on breeding evaluations on the Icelandic stock and results from assessments. Currently there are more than 400,000 horses registered in WorldFengur from across Europe and the USA. The backbone of the database is the unique identification number (FEIF ID-number) of each horse, paired with its genotype, this allows a record and pedigree for all Icelandic horses, allowing their sale, entrance into shows, and for better breeding programs.

In addition Matís is the only Icelandic provider of the test for the DMRT3 mutation. This mutation indicates whether or not a horse has the ability to perform both pace and tölt (Icelandic) which is a form of slow trot. Most Icelandic horses with two copies of the A variant (AA) can perform both gaits, while horses with one copy (CA) can only perform tölt. This means that we can now genetically test a horse's potential ability to perform these gaits. This testing can be done when the horse is very young (ie before training is started). It can also be carried out on the stallion and broodmare to determine if they are a good combination to breed.

Sheep farmers have also benefited from Matís researches, as Matís offers testing for the 'þokugen' gene, which increases fertility in ewes, allowing farmers to increase the productivity of their flocks. Matís is as well enabling a practical test for sheep breeders to detect Scrapie. Scrapie is a fatal degenerative disease that affects the central nervous system in sheep and can be passed from sheep to sheep. Positive diagnosis of Scrapie can result in a flock being quarantined and animals destroyed. Fortunately, sheep can have genetic resistance to Scrapie that can be detected with a simple and inexpensive DNA test. By offering DNA testing to farmers, breeders can select for, and breed resistant animals. Buyers can also be assured that they are buying resistant sheep.

For additional information, please contact Anna K. Daníelsdóttir, director at Matís.

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

Matís switchboard will be closed on 24 and 31 December. The direct telephone number for the microbiology department is 422-5116 or 858-5116.

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

Matís is running an interesting project in collaboration with Thor-Ice, the University of Iceland, 3X-Technology, the National Association of Small Boat Owners and Valdi ehf. on cooling catches with ice scrapers on board small boats.

The aim of the project is to improve the quality of catch from small boats and maximize the return price. To achieve these goals, a sludge engine suitable for small boats will be designed and also improved procedures for cooling catches will be developed. Increased knowledge of handling and cooling will reduce the proportion of the catch of those boats that are considered unusable due to poor or no cooling. Improved cooling on board small boats will undoubtedly increase the overall quality of the catch landed. This is a benefit for both fishermen and producers.

The main products of the project are:

• More knowledge about the effects of different cooling on the flesh and death of fish
• More knowledge and understanding of the energy consumption of different coolers with ice scraper and flake ice.

For further information Sæmundur Elíasson at Matís and you can also find information about projects on project website.

Related material

Discussion of the project in journal of the University of Iceland.

In recent years, the public's interest in producing products from their own raw materials with the aim of creating products that can be sold to consumers has increased significantly. As a result, many have set up facilities for such production.

Many farmers have set up processing facilities on the farms and sell ham, sausages and various other foods directly from the producer to the great popularity of consumers. The same can be said for fish producers, many produce dried fish or other foods from seafood. Establishing such work facilities and obtaining the required permits, however, costs considerable resources and labor before the food can be produced.

Many producers have sought help from Matís to set up facilities that meet the requirements for food production and product development for the food they intend to produce. The project Spring in the air was established in the south of the Westfjords last year and is now being completed. The project was intended to support small producers in the area to set up food processing on a small scale, and a total of eight parties participated in the project in part or in full. The project returned the participants well towards their goals and it can be expected that with the growing flow of tourists to the area, the market for such products will increase even further. The project was funded by the Vestur-Barðastrandarsýsla Research and Innovation Fund and the Fisheries Product Development Center. A report on the project has been published and can be seen here. Further information about the project is provided Lilja Magnúsdóttir at Matís in Patreksfjörður.