Today, Friday and tomorrow Saturday, Matís employees will use remote-controlled submarines to collect samples from sponges and sea urchins in Breiðfjörður. The aim is to investigate whether it is possible to process new types of drugs from sponges and sea urchins.
Sponges are known to defend themselves with chemical warfare, so research is now aimed at examining whether this property can be used to make drugs. 7000 bioactive molecules have already been detected in sponges.
Scientists' interest in marine bioactive substances is growing at the same time as technology enables humans to study nature with even greater precision than before.
According to Ragnar Jóhannsson at Matís, who is leading the project, one of the main challenges will be to find ways to isolate a sufficient amount of bioactive substances to use in production.
Sampling from the sponges is part of two projects Bluepharmtrain and BlueGenics. Sampling from the sea urchins is part of the project ResUrch. The projects are funded by the Marie Curie EU Program and the 7th European Framework Program (FP7). The grants amount to just over ISK 80 million.
Matís is looking for three students to work on research at the company. The projects are 60 credits and are thus used as a final project. The projects are carried out in collaboration with the largest fisheries companies in the country. There is a possibility of strength.
The projects are suitable for students in food science, chemistry and biology. The application deadline is July 14th. The projects in question are:
Maximizing the quality of frozen mackerel products:
The main goal of the project is to study the quality and stability of mackerel products in frost according to the seasons and the effects of different pre-cooling, freezing and storage conditions. Heat transfer models will be developed that can predict changes in mackerel temperature during processing, storage and transport. By looking at the interplay of these factors, it is possible to maximize the quality and utilization of mackerel and therefore at the same time its value.
A student is requested who can start work in the autumn semester of 2014.
Increased quality and stability of frozen herring products:
The main goal of the project is to maximize the homogeneous quality and value of Icelandic herring products. The quality and stability of herring products in frost according to the seasons and the effects of different precooling, freezing and storage conditions will be investigated. The results will not only lead to less quality degradation due to storage and transport, but also increase the understanding of the relationship between product defects and the effects that the raw material has from fishing and to the market.
A student is requested who can start work in the autumn semester of 2014.
Shelf life of lightly salted fillets in the freezer:
The aim of the project is to increase the value of seafood by analyzing ideal conditions for storage of lightly salted cod and saithe fillets and at the same time increase the stability of these products based on season and raw material quality. Very little research has been done on these factors and the project will therefore create important information, more stable and not least more valuable seafood.
We are looking for a student who can start in the spring semester of 2015, there is a possibility to complete the project in the summer semester.
The co-operation project between the Icelandic and German governments on increasing food safety has now been completed. Food safety is a key prerequisite for food producers to be able to sell their products and participate in international trade.
Consumers, both domestic and foreign, must be able to trust that food is safe and that the government has the capacity to monitor food safety in accordance with international standards and regulations.
The bilateral project between Germany and Iceland, Safe Foods, which has contributed to increased food security in Iceland, has now been completed, but the main participants in the project were Matís, Matvælastofnun (MAST), the Ministry of Industry and Innovation, the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) and Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (LAVES) in Germany.
"Our goal was to build up the administration and improve research facilities in Iceland so that all the necessary infrastructure is in place to ensure the safety of food on the Icelandic market. This is done to protect the health and interests of consumers in ever-expanding markets in times of increasing globalization," said Professor Dr. Dr. Andreas Hensel, president of the BfR, and professor dr. Eberhard Haunhorst, President of LAVES in a meeting with Sigurður Inga Jóhannsson, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture on June 25, 2014. "The Safe Foods collaboration project has contributed to a significant strengthening of Iceland's research capacity, which will enable us to work in accordance with European standards and regulations. This work will facilitate the export of Icelandic food on the international market." said Matís CEO Sveinn Margeirsson. "Thanks to the close cooperation between the Icelandic authorities and German partners, public inspectors have increased their knowledge of legislation, administration and procedures for official food inspection so that we are now better equipped to ensure the interests of consumers with regard to food safety", added the director of the Norwegian Food Agency. Jón Gíslason we.
The main priorities of the project were to improve the analysis of pesticide residues and other contaminants in food, such as PCBs, as well as the analysis of genetic changes in food and feed. Another important factor was the introduction of chemical analysis methods to measure algae in shellfish. To achieve these goals, first-class research equipment was purchased and installed in Matís' laboratory, as well as the staff concerned were trained in the use of the equipment and the implementation of official diagnostic methods according to European standards. Matvælastofnun and the municipal health inspectorate also received training in sampling, monitoring and interpretation of legislation in these areas. A total of 24 experts from German partner organizations came to Iceland to provide this training, in addition to which Icelandic experts will pay an introductory visit to Germany.
Dr. Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir, director of Matís, dr. Roland Gerhard Körber, employee of the Safe Food project, Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, dr. Hrönn Ólína Jörundsdóttir, project manager at Matís, Thomas Hermann Meister, Ambassador of Germany to Iceland, dr. dr. Andreas Hensel, president of BfR, dr. Eberhard Haunhors, CEO of Laves and Margrét Björk Sigurðardóttir, director of the Food Administration.
The project is considered to have been very successful and there is talk of a possible continuation of the co-operation that has been established between Icelandic and German institutions in the field of food safety.
Icelanders have established a good reputation when it comes to the utilization of seafood and innovation in the fisheries sector. Matís and its partners have supported this development well through research and innovation.
Iceland's success in this field has attracted deserved attention and foreign parties have realized that this is where unique knowledge and experience in the fisheries sector can be found. The Norwegian Minister of Fisheries Elisabeth Aspaker visited Matís today to learn about the company's operations and get answers to the question "Why are Icelanders so diligent in producing and selling high quality products made from white and pelagic fish?" The question is fully justified because the difference between Iceland and Norway's catch utilization is significant. In Iceland, for example, 570 kg of products are obtained from 1 tonne of cod, but the same amount yields only 410 kg of products to Norway. The difference is 16% or 160 kg per tonne, which means that the Norwegian value added from their total catch in the Barents Sea in 2013 could amount to just over NOK 1 billion or ISK 21 billion if they adopted Icelandic methods.1 In fact, fisheries ministers on both sides of the Atlantic have made their way to Matís in recent days, as a week ago Keith Hutchings, Newfoundland's Minister of Fisheries, also visited Matís. Increased cod fishing outside Newfoundland creates new opportunities for the fishing industry. In addition, he showed great interest in the role of Matís as a bridge between universities and the business community, and believed that this collaboration would strengthen the industry.
In Iceland you can find enormous resources in unspoiled and unpolluted nature that can be used for food production. The Artic Bioeconomy project, for example, worked with kelp in mayonnaise, chocolate and pasta. Berries, wild herbs, kale, carrots, rhubarb, mushrooms and birch are the mainstays of innovative foods as well as giving well-known products a new flavor.
Innovation in the food industry, where underutilized resources come into play, has been the main theme of the Artic Bioeconomy project, which ends in November. The project is part of the Icelandic Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. Matís is leading the project, which has now launched more than 30 ideas, and new products will be presented on 25 June at a conference on the bioeconomy that will take place in Selfoss. The products are developed by small producers and individuals in Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
Matís has been at the forefront of those who want to take new paths in food production, and Matís' food makers have played a particularly important role in this. In addition, the company's research into bioactive substances and the enrichment of seafood has increased knowledge of how to increase the health of the food we consume. At the same time as it is important to find and utilize new resources, it is also necessary to consider whether it is possible to utilize products that are most often discarded for food production. For this purpose, for example, they worked with mutton, ribs from beef, whey and rock crab.
Beach monkeys, crab and whey
An example of new products that will be on display is Strandaber, which is a new product line that uses the main blueberry picked in Strandasýsla. Berries are pressed and used in juice and the speed is used as a raw material for boost or dried as an intermediate. No preservatives, colors or sweeteners are used. Research has shown that Icelandic blueberries contain more antioxidants than imported berries.
Another exciting food that Icelanders have not become accustomed to using is crab. Now hopefully that will change. The product in question is crab meat that has been cooked and frozen, it is mainly intended for restaurants, but the meat can be used in crab salad, crab cakes or crab burgers.
Mysuklaki with berries and herbs is also a new product that will be introduced at the conference, but its preparation is based on Icelandic tradition. The whey used is an extra product of skyr production. Mysan was the main soft drink for Icelanders in earlier centuries, but it has been reduced to new soft drinks, but in this project it is used in refreshing ice for children and adults.
Ocean Sampling Day (OSD) is a world event in which scientists collect samples from the ocean at the summer solstice on June 21st. These samplings will help scientists and the general public better understand how the world's oceans work and the complex ecosystems that exist there.
More information can be found at OSD website and on blog OSD. At Matís provides Viggó Marteinsson also further information on the implementation of measurements in this country.
30 new foods will be presented at the Nordtic conference in Selfoss. The Nordic Bioeconomy, which is part of the Icelandic Government's three-year chairmanship of the Nordic Council of Ministers, will be discussed. Innovation in the field of food production is one of the challenges of the project.
A conference on the Nordic bioeconomy will be held in Selfoss on 25 June, with the aim of finding ways to fully utilize products without depleting resources, thus reducing waste, increasing value creation and encouraging innovation.
The results of food innovation will be presented at the conference, but earlier this year there was an advertisement for interested parties to take part in product development projects both in Iceland and in Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The aim was to develop new foods or food-related products. Innovative projects of this kind strengthen regional economic growth and increase sustainability in food production.
Examples of foods that were developed in the project and can be tasted at the conference include: Ice cream from skyrmys, hand-picked Icelandic berries and wild herbs, Carrot flakes, Heilsumæjónes with omega-3 and Arctic char on feed produced with mold proteins . A total of about 30 products will be introduced from Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland.
The bioeconomy is Matís' concern, as many of the company's projects revolve around its protection and welfare. Next November, the Arctic Bioeconom project will be completed, which has mostly focused on food production innovation and thus food security in the Arctic, but together with Iceland, food production in the Faroe Islands and Greenland as well as the northern parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland was mainly considered. Sigrún Elsa Smáradóttir, Director of Business Development, is the project manager of the project.
The inaugural meeting of the Icelandic case study in the MareFrame project is now a new one, but it took place on Tuesday 10 June. Matís participates in the project in collaboration with the University of Iceland and the Marine Research Institute. The European project MareFrame aims to develop a multi-stock fisheries management system based on the Icelandic model.
Dr. Anna Kristín Daníelsdóttir, division manager at Matís, is the project manager for the Icelandic part of MareFrame. She says the meeting was successful and well attended.
"The aim was to obtain the views of stakeholders on the development and formulation of the Icelandic case study on the Icelandic multi-stock fisheries management system. The MareFrame project places great emphasis on good co-operation with fishermen, fishing companies and processing companies, as well as other stakeholders involved in fisheries management, which is a key factor in the implementation of a multi-stock fisheries management system. "
"Representatives from the main stakeholders attended the meeting, such as the National Association of Icelandic Fishermen, the National Association of Small Boat Owners, the Association of Fish Processing Plants, MSC, the Directorate of Fisheries and the Ministry of Industry and Innovation."
More collaborative meetings are planned in the project, as the emphasis is on environmentally friendly, sustainable, social and economic management. In addition, it is based on what has been done well in Icelandic fisheries management, including the use of the multi-stock model "Gadget", which was developed by Icelandic participants in the project and is widely used abroad.
The MareFrame project involves a total of 28 institutions, companies and universities in 10 European countries (Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Poland, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Romania, Norway and Iceland) as well as South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
According to an article on www.visir.is There has been an increase in population in the south of the Westfjords in the last two years in connection with increased aquaculture in the area. Matís has been involved in this, but innovation and research in the field of aquaculture as well as support for business development in the countryside has been a common thread in the company's operations since its establishment.
The article states that the population in the southern western fjords has increased by 5% from 2012 - 2014, but population growth has been negative in the area in recent years. In 2012, 1,186 people lived in the area, but the number has now increased by 60 and today there are 1,246 individuals living in Vesturbyggð and Tálknafjörður. By comparison, in 2000, 1,596 people lived in the area. The reason for the increase in population is due to job creation in connection with aquaculture, which has been on the rise in recent years and is expected to continue.
In 2012, Matís opened an office in Patreksfjörður, which serves the south of the Westfjords and the Breiðafjörður area, where the road to aquaculture has steadily increased in recent years. The goal of Matís' offices is to serve the local community and support research and development in the field of food in the local area. In Patreksfjörður, emphasis is placed on research related to aquaculture and the intention is to contribute to the progress and development of aquaculture throughout the country.
In recent years, research has mainly focused on improving the profitability, growth and quality of farmed fish, as well as increasing efficiency in production and reducing feed costs, which is one of the largest expenditure items. The research thus contributes to an increase in value and makes it easier for companies and individuals to start production of some kind.
In the southern part of the Westfjords, there is a long tradition of fishing and fish processing, but in recent years there has been a certain decline in that profession. However, the area is suitable for aquaculture in the opinion of many and has undoubtedly contributed to the great development that has already taken place, especially in the farming of salmon, char and rainbow trout as well as mussels. The aim is for products in the area to receive sustainable certification, as they are processed in a sustainable manner and the bioeconomy as a whole is included in the picture at all stages of production.
Matís places great emphasis on ensuring that value added goes hand in hand with the well-being of the bioeconomy. Therefore, better utilization of feed and products not only results in more money but also a more valuable and environmentally friendly product that is spun from a sustainable environment. This contributes to increased food security for the future.
Welcome to the Nordic Environmental Chemistry Conference - NECC (Nordic Environmental Chemistry Conference) 2014 which will be held in Reykjavík from 11-13. June 2014.
The topic of the conference is environmental chemistry in the Nordic countries as well as internationally, but environmental chemistry is an interdisciplinary field of research that transcends geographical boundaries and therefore requires international discussion. The conference is therefore looking for topics that cover, among other things, environmental toxicology and the effects of substances on organisms, the accumulation of substances in organisms, the transport of substances in the environment and their transformation process, modeling, green chemistry as well as monitoring and regulations.
