Category: 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.

Although the health effects of consuming polyunsaturated fatty acids are well-proven, they are not always consumed in sufficient quantities because the consumption of fatty fish is relatively low in Iceland. Matís and the company Grímur kokkur (www.grimurkokkur.is) have in recent years worked together on projects to enrich seafood from lean fish with omega oils.

In a Nordic project funded by Nordic Innovation, Grímur kokk developed artificial seafood dishes that were enriched with omega oils to increase the amount of omega 3 fatty acids and at the same time the health value of the dishes. The oil came from the company BioActive Foods in Norway but it is partly made from Icelandic fish oil. In collaboration with Alfons Ramel at the Laboratory of Nutrition, the University of Iceland and Landspítali, an intervention study was conducted to examine bioavailability (bioavailability) n-3 fatty acid added to prepared dishes and compared to omega powder consumed directly. The study involved 77 people over the age of 50, but was advertised for participants. One part of the participants ate traditional fish dishes from Grímur the chef, the other group ate fish dishes enriched with omega oil and the third group ate omega powder. The study lasted for four weeks and blood samples were taken before and after. Participants who received omega oil or omega powder received approx. the recommended daily dose of DHA and EPA fatty acids. Blood EPA levels doubled in those consuming omega and DHA also increased significantly. No change was measured in the blood of those who did not receive omega.

These research results have now been published in a scientific article in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2014) entitled: Bioavailability of long-chain n-3 fatty acids from enriched meals and from microencapsulated powder. The authors are Harpa Hrund Hinriksdóttir, Valgerður Lilja Jónsdóttir, Kolbrún Sveinsdóttir, Emilia Martinsdóttir and Alfons Ramel. Matís, Grímur kokkur and BioActive Foods will continue research in this field in the EU project EnRichMar.

For further information Emilia Martinsdóttir at Matís.

The conversion of catches into export value is crucial for the economy. Utilization and processing of marine products is involved. Just as processing is about respect for consumers and raw materials, utilization is about respect for raw materials and the environment, while co-creation is about respect for society and resources. Many people claim a lot about full processing and utilization. Along with the assertion, there is unnecessary discrimination, as products are classified fairly freely as primary and secondary.

Gray (laid) halibut

Certainly, the goal is to make the best use of all inputs in the most profitable way. The competition must not be the utilization rate alone, the values drive society forward. Melting, a processing method that uses all the raw material, although the yields are not high in excess of the fat and protein content of the raw material, the catch is all disposed of in one and the same processing method, and nothing is left, the same applies to whole fish freezing, processing but the value is hardly desirable, if further processing is possible.

Is finishing processing all the raw materials or the treatment that is necessary so that the consumer needs to handle the food as little as possible? Is full utilization to minimize what goes to waste in the handling of every link in the chain from boat to boat? Does the utilization depend on the use of raw materials, the complexity of processing, the use of processing equipment or the utilization of opportunities for value creation? Utilization of one party, group of companies or combined of all those who handle seafood in this country?

Naturally, by-products fit well into the minds of Icelanders who are given to thinking about extras. People focus on what creates the most income for each one, a diverse society accommodates different emphases, what is a side issue of one is the main product of another. Everyone strives to do what he does and some have achieved great success. As statistics show the high value of cod, it is possible to ask whether haddock is a by-product of cod? All fish should be considered as a raw material for valuable products. Circumstances in each case limit people's ability to act and affect utilization and value creation. It is more appropriate to remind people to take fish oil than to take a by-product.

All the forward-thinking people who succeed in creating value from untapped opportunities that lie in what is not usually consumed are to be commended for their ingenuity. Although it is possible to tailor clothes from red, the fish will be rowed along the edible part, for the time being. A limited amount of raw materials requires that the most value is created from each fish, where foresight is important.

Opportunity to do better

Those who want to try to spend their time convincing people that sloppiness is positive, because it rhymes with courage, can try it. But more people are more likely to think sluggishness is negative, perhaps because it rhymes with gore, so it needs to be clear that the Icelandic fisheries sector is not sluggish, but the Icelandic fisheries sector is an exciting platform for responsible value creation in sustainable ways from different needs in diverse markets create.

For further information Arnljótur Bjarki Bergsson, division manager at Matís.

The sister agency of the Food Administration (MAST) in Russia has been auditing Iceland for the past two weeks. Its employees were in Iceland on behalf of the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, as reported on MAST website.

The news from MAST states, among other things, that health certificates have been forged in the name of the agency and several Icelandic companies due to the import of salmon to the Allies, but MAST has a copy of a number of such certificates. The issuance of forged certificates is, of course, a grave matter for the Icelandic food industry, and it is important that every year is taken to prevent this, whether these or other countries are involved.

The conclusion of the visit was that the Icelandic food industry and MAST enjoy the trust of the sister institution MAST in the customs union in question and that it is important to establish electronic communication between the institutions.

Matís participates in a European project on counterfeiting and integrity in the food industry, which is intended to promote the use of research and development to ensure the falsity of European food. The project aims to develop methods for detecting and preventing fraud in the European food industry, and in this context the importance of e.g. genetic research on species origin and food content.

In the food industry, as elsewhere, integrity is a prerequisite for the consumer to trust the product, but food manufacturers have felt the effects when customers' trust is damaged due to scandal, but many no doubt remember the tragedy that followed the emergence of horsemeat instead of beef in many ready-made dishes.

More about the FoodIntegrity project.

There are now vacant offices for rent in Matís' premises, Vínlandsleið 14, for small companies and individuals, who see the benefit of being among the country's leading experts in food processing and biotechnology.

The accommodation that is available is some bright and good offices, you can also get access to research facilities and certified food processing space by further agreement.

Find out more Matís website.