Category: News

Since 2012, Matís has laid the foundation for increased collaboration with domestic and foreign educational institutions, which has resulted in various collaborative projects.

Now that the summer holidays of the universities are coming to an end, it is not out of the question to have Guðjón Þorkelsson, director of Matís, chat.

"Matís has had a successful collaboration with educational institutions in recent years, here work a lot of extremely good scientists and in specialists in the field of food science who have been teaching in universities in Iceland and abroad. In 2012, a decision was made to strengthen this collaboration, which we believe has already contributed to value creation in the food industry in Iceland. We place great emphasis on student internships and thus consider ourselves to be preparing individuals to take on real jobs immediately after graduation. "

"We also believe that we are following the emphasis on research and innovation in the field of food for the benefit of the economy, public health and food security. Food science is a fast-growing field and in view of the extent to which it affects the consumer, the demands for excellent education and knowledge are becoming more intense every day. We believe that by connecting education and vocational training, Matís will become a bridge that connects universities and the business community. But it is especially important that these parties work together and use each other's knowledge for development. "

"Another reason why Matís emphasizes co-operation with educational institutions is efficiency in the form of shared use of staff and facilities. In addition, it is very important for Matís and the food companies to get students to work on practical research projects and thus gain training to become the companies' future employees. Matís is a very large research company on an Icelandic scale and here is a great deal of expertise and experience that needs to be utilized in teaching, guidance and vocational training in food processing. We are also fortunate to have first-class facilities in many parts of the country that are also used for the same purpose. "

"Matís staff has given lectures and instructed in practical exercises in 10 BS courses, 4 joint courses for BS and MS students and 10 MS courses in food and nutrition and industrial engineering at the University of Iceland. In addition, many students in master's and doctoral studies at Icelandic universities have worked on their research projects at Matís and almost always collaborate with the business community, "says Guðjón.

"Matís' policy is to strengthen the competitiveness of Icelandic products and the economy, improve public health, ensure food security and sustainable use of the environment through research, innovation and services in the fields of food, biotechnology and genetic engineering. In order to implement its policy, it is necessary for Matís to work in collaboration with the university community on teaching and training students. Matís also seeks to connect its operations and partners with companies, research centers and offices outside Reykjavík. "

"This year, we have taken even more steps in strengthening food science studies in this country with new collaboration agreements with the University of Akureyri and Bifröst University. In Akureyri, emphasis will be placed on further strengthening research and education in fisheries science, food science and biotechnology as well as collaboration in other areas of teaching and research, with the aim of being at the forefront in Iceland in the fields related to fisheries science and biotechnology. The collaboration between Matís and Bifrastar consists of the development of a new study line in food management science, and Matís will mostly be responsible for teaching and developing subjects related to the handling, content and production of food. "

At Menningarnótt on the 23rd of August, Matís will present new foods that cultural night guests are invited to taste. The innovations are the result of the innovation and product development of the project "Innovation in the Nordic Bioeconomy".

The project is one of the main projects of "Nordbio", which is part of the Icelandic Presidency program, and Iceland currently holds the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. The project focuses on innovation in the bioeconomy, including food production and biomass production with sustainability in mind. 

The first part of the project was to assist food producers in the development of new foods. Matís advertised this spring for ideas for innovation in food processing in Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. There was great interest in the fact that almost 80 entrepreneurs applied for assistance and about 40 of them received specialist assistance from Matís in product development. 

Culture Night gives visitors and pedestrians the opportunity to taste the production of two Icelandic entrepreneurs and get acquainted with Nordic co-operation, which is carried out by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs:

Perlubygg (excellent barley for fine cooking) from Móðir Jörð in Vallanes. Chef Sveinn Kjartansson is going to prepare a delicious dish from the pearl barley.

BE juicy (organically certified cabbage powder for juice making) you can taste BE juicy boozt.  

 The presentation will be held at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Rauðarárstígur 25, 4th floor, between 14:00 and 17:00.

The project "Innovation in the Nordic Bioeconomy" produced 30 products, with the aim of developing new food or food-related products in Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Iceland. Innovative projects of this kind strengthen regional economic growth and increase sustainability in food production. Information on all products can be found at Nordtic website.

Matís representatives presented a comparative project on cod fishing and processing at a conference held by Nofima in connection with the fisheries exhibition Nor-fishing which took place in Trondheim from 19-22 August. The exhibition is usually well attended, but on average about 20 thousand people attend it. 

The fisheries exhibition Nor-fishing or Fiskerimesse as the Norwegians call it, took place in Trondheim from 19-22 August. This exhibition takes place in the city every other year and is usually attended by about 20 thousand people. The exhibition has a history of over 50 years and is used by stakeholders in Norway, as well as elsewhere, to present innovations and maintain connections. Several Icelandic companies presented their products at the exhibition, such as Sæplast, 3X, Marel, Skaginn, Polar tow equipment, Hampiðjan, Seigla and Trefjar.  

Matís' representatives did not miss the exhibition and took part in a conference that was part of the exhibition. The Nofima Research Institute hosted the conference and its aim was to present part of the work that has been done in the research program. The cod program. 

The cod program began in 2011 and will end at the end of 2015, but the total funding for the program is NOK 22 million (almost ISK 410 million). Matís' participation in the conference was about the presentation of a project that Nofima and Matís are currently working on where cod fishing and processing in Norway and Iceland are compared. 

Well over three hundred people attended the conference and the guests were Elisabeth Aspaker, Norwegian Minister of Fisheries. 

For more information jonas@matis.is

A great deal of work is put into Matís' operating plan and settlement, and every month the company's board is presented with a plan and detailed operating settlement, so the follow-up is extensive.

Preparatory work for the preparation of the company's operating plan for the coming operating year always begins at the beginning of September. The basic work of the planning takes place in Matís' support areas and is managed by the CFO and the head of operations and information technology. The operating plan is then reviewed with the project managers and reviewed with the division managers before it is submitted to the board.

Matís 'total revenue has grown steadily since its establishment and Matís' total revenue for 2014 was just over ISK 1.4 billion. Most of Matís' revenue comes from foreign co-operation, or more than 40%, based on the operating plan for 2014. Foreign co-operation has increased significantly in recent years and the aim is to continue to do so in the coming years.

A service agreement with the Ministry of Industry and Innovation is an important part of Matís' revenue generation, but its share has been declining since Matís' establishment and the state's funding for Matís' operations has decreased by 30% in real terms since 2010.

Domestic funds, such as AVS and Tækniþróunarsjóður, are also important in Matís' revenue generation, as well as transactions with companies and public entities.

Proportional distribution of income in the years 2007-2013:

The largest expense items, excluding salaries and salary-related expenses and general direct costs for the operation of projects, are the operation of housing and other office and administrative costs.

Matís is in good co-operation with the National Audit Office, which is responsible for auditing Matís' annual accounts. Accounting processes and procedures are being worked on in collaboration with the National Audit Office, and the National Audit Office's comments on Matís' operations have been uncommented recently. years.

For further information Kristinn Kolbeinsson, CFO of Matís.

Matís Laboratory, which is an independent business unit within the Division of Measurement and Communication, provides internationally accredited measurement services, and every year thousands of samples from official regulators and members of the business community are examined for chemical and microbiological factors. Measurements relate to quality and safety measurements for, among other things, the food, feed, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, as well as measurements related to health and environmental issues.

The laboratory is the reference laboratory of Iceland in the field of microbial measurements in shellfish and measurements of Salmonella in food. It is the Ministry of Employment and Innovation that nominates reference laboratories that work in collaboration with other reference laboratories in the European Economic Area. The statutory role and main responsibilities of the Reference Laboratory are diverse and include the coordination of the activities of nominated public research in each country. This includes advice and guidance on measurement methods, participation in the development and verification of measurement methods and the organization of comparative tests. According to plans, the laboratory will also be designated as a reference laboratory in the field of pathogenic E. coli bacteria, Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus in 2015.

The laboratory is one of the most advanced in the country and can meet the diverse needs of customers with a wide range of accredited measurement methods in many different areas. The laboratory is also very well connected to many foreign laboratories and can mediate measurements that cannot be done in Iceland on favorable terms and fast delivery.

The division has an extensive database with measurement results that benefit customers in analyzing and processing their data, but also researchers and public regulators, as the database is an important long-term source with many processing options for measurement results and other similar data.

The data collection that takes place in the field is particularly important for the bioeconomy, where efforts are made to prevent the consumption of harmful substances and microorganisms by humans and animals. New ideas for product processing and sustainability involve certain risks and challenges, working with new raw materials that were previously classified as waste or were not used at all. In this context, many things are unclear, especially when it comes to requirements for sustainable and organic production, as the opportunities to clean food or apply preservatives are limited. New foods are also needed for research and data, as they may contain previously unknown toxins, as well as the possibility of unhealthy products being mixed with different ingredients.

For further information Franklin Georgsson, division manager.

This summer, Matís, in collaboration with the National Museum of Iceland, has researched what was possibly eaten in Icelandic monasteries. The study is about examining food scraps in pottery fragments. There is also another collaborative project where samples from archeological excavations are used to check the diet of the settlers. 

Diet within Icelandic monasteries, which numbered around 11 and operated from 1133 until the Reformation, is a research topic that has been little researched and therefore our knowledge of eating habits is scarce. To understand what was eaten in Icelandic monasteries, clay fragments from containers from Skriðuklaustur and Kirkjubæjarklaustur have been examined. Dr. Björn Viðar Aðalbjörnsson An expert at Matís leads the project on behalf of Matís and Ármann Guðmundsson, an archaeologist, on behalf of the National Museum of Iceland. 

Björn says that the research only examines clay fragments from food containers that have been found at the National Museum and have been found in archeological excavations, no other sources are used. This is a technical study. The project is carried out by Mariu Katrín Naumovskaya, a student at the University of Iceland, who received a grant from the Student Innovation Fund for the project.

"Small clay fragments are crushed down and fatty acids are analyzed in gas and mass analysis. The ratios of fatty acids can indicate which food was cooked and served in the utensils and the first results indicate that the diet of monks and nuns in Iceland was varied and possibly more varied than the rules on the diet of monks and nuns stated at the time, "says Björn. 

"Less is known about the settler's diet. The project has expanded and research has begun on samples from the archaeological research in Vogur in Höfn, which the Archaeological Institute is leading under the direction of Dr. Bjarni F. Einarsson. Soil samples have been taken and fats analyzed in them as in the previous project. The results have given a better view of the settlers' diet and also given clues to the role of a structure that was previously a mystery. "

This weekend, the music festival Bræðslan takes place in Borgarfjörður eystri, where food and culture will be mixed in a fun way in connection with the project "Food and culture in Borgarfjörður eystri". 

The aim of the project was to increase the supply of food at the festival and at the same time strengthen the progress of food from Borgfjörður, and small producers in the area received support for food creation from Matís in connection with the project.

At the festival, guests will have many opportunities to try new and old recipes of Borgfjörður food. Guests at the campsite will be welcomed with home-made lamb on Friday and while Pollapönk plays, kids will be invited to come and grill a variety of "polla bread". The national campaign "Fish Day" (www.fiskidag.is) together with Fiskverkun Kalli Sveins will be in charge of fish tasting at the outdoor market in Fjarðarborg on Saturday. As usual, it will be possible to enjoy all kinds of good dishes at Álfakaffi, Álfheimar and "Já sæll" in Fjarðarborg.

On Saturday, there will also be an open market where locals will present various food crafts and offer for sale.

The project is a collaboration between Matís, Bræðslan, Framfarafélag Borgarfjörður, Fiskverkun Kalli Sveins ehf. and restaurants in Borgarfjörður eystri. Guests of the Smelter are especially encouraged to get acquainted with this innovation and enjoy the food that will be introduced at the festival.  

The smelter's program 

The European Food Integrity project started at the beginning of the year, and is intended to promote the use of research and development to ensure the integrity of European food. Matís participates in the project which aims to develop methods for detecting and preventing fraud in the European food industry.

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. An examination in Iceland has revealed that the descriptions of the contents are not always correct, for example, meat was not detected in beef pies produced in Iceland.

Safety, reliability and quality

The project is led by Fera, the British Food and Environment Research Institute, and is called FoodIntegrity or MatarHeilindi. The project is to ensure that food is in accordance with the description of the ingredients and is in perfect condition, ie that buyers can safely deliver the product they think they are buying. Integrity and trust are key to adding value to a product. By ensuring that the consumer trusts the product, manufacturers and other stakeholders are strengthening their position in the market. 

The integrity of European foodstuffs is constantly threatened by fraudulent labeling or counterfeiting, as the counterfeit food industry continues to grow. The results of the project are intended to be the focus of international co-ordination on the use of research and development to ensure the integrity of European food with the participation of the core group of the project.

Resistance against product fraud

Food Integrity logically coordinates processes within a comprehensive framework to ensure food supply and facilitate the dissemination of information on food integrity stakeholders. Existing databases should be utilized through coordination and a methodology appropriate to the purpose should be implemented, addressing the needs of stakeholders and dealing with gaps left by the research results.

Sustainable arrangements should be put in place for timely warnings of potential product fraud to counteract the growing risk of fraud following fraud. Stakeholders' global co-operation should be initiated to ensure that the results of the project are utilized. Improved verification processes will be developed for quality management of stakeholders in the food industry, the case studies of the project are based on the participation of producers of seafood, beverages and olive oil. A study of consumer attitudes in the light of counterfeits in the European food industry will be carried out. The intention is to establish an independent forum for the verification of the integrity of foodstuffs that may impose authenticity or counterfeiting on the parties seeking it. 

Further information about the project is provided Jónas R. Viðarsson, director of Matís.

There has been a major change in the freezer trawler industry in Iceland since it began in the early 1980s. The share of freezer trawlers in cod has decreased significantly and today it is only caught as a by-catch when fishing for other species such as redfish, saithe and halibut. In 1992, there were most freezer trawlers in the Icelandic fleet, 35 in number, but today they are 23 and declining.

The reasons for the declining share of freezer vessels in the cod fishery can be traced to rising oil prices, high labor costs compared to land processing and changes in fish markets, where there has been an increased demand for fresh fillets and extra raw materials. Uncertainty in the environment of the fishing industry and the increase in fishing fees, however, have prevented the necessary investment, which is a prerequisite for the development of equipment and products of freezer vessels. The vessels are up to date and it is time to renew the fleet, if it is to withstand competition in the production of products on the market that pay higher product prices and withstand competition in the processing of catfish on land. 

The imposition of fishing fees has caused uncertainty and reduced the efficiency of freezer trawlers, which has prevented investment in the industry, as well as a share-based system that does not encourage investment in technology or product development. Freezer trawlers are important to Icelanders, and although their share of cod and haddock has been declining, it must continue to be economical to fish other species with processing vessels. Species such as redfish and halibut are well suited for processing such as this, as distant targets will hardly be retrieved except with freezer trawlers. 

Matís has recently published report which is written following analytical work to present a picture of the various factors that weigh most heavily in the operation of freezer trawlers in Iceland. The report is intended to support decision-making regarding investment in the fisheries sector in the future and to clarify which aspects of the operation of freezer trawlers are most important. The report can be used in discussions on changes to the fisheries management system and it will be possible to use the results of the project to assess the impact of changes in various factors. The report is not limited to freezer trawlers and can be used for comprehensive policy-making in the fisheries sector, and the results are useful to both shipowners and politicians in decision-making. The main factors that are crucial in this context concern the value of the catch, the fishermen's wages and the fishing fee. The data collected in the project have been used in recent decisions on changes in the fishing patterns of Icelandic fishing companies. This is the final report of the project "Investment management in freezer trawler operations", which was prepared in collaboration with HB Grandi with support from the AVS Fisheries Research Fund with grant S 007-12.

A total of 200 applications were received for summer jobs at Matís this summer, but it was only planned to hire eight individuals. In addition, 10 people were hired by Matís with a grant from the Student Innovation Fund. 

Therefore, there will be 18 summer employees at Matís this summer, but a total of about 30 students work for the company. 

In the past two months, Matís has advertised for five master's students to work on their final projects at Matís. The projects are carried out in collaboration with, among others, Promens, Thor Ice, the Westfjords Fisheries Cluster, Eimskip and Samskip.

Matís welcomes the interest shown by the company among students in the country's universities, as one of Matís' goals is to be a bridge between the university community and the business community. 

Do you want to work on your final project at Matís?