Category: News

Great challenges must be faced now and in the future. Around the corner are even more changes in all aspects of food production. How can Icelanders play a key role? How can we as a nation contribute to increased food security and increased food security?

In this video, Daði Már Kristófersson, President of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Iceland, Sigrún Elsa Smáradóttir, Director of Matís and Sveinn Margeirsson, Director of Matís, discuss these issues.

Want to see more videos from Matís. Then click on the link Matís video page.

Are roundworms in fish dangerous? Why are we spending all this time and money removing this worm?

Ringworms

Infecting people with roundworms is not very well known in this country, but abroad and especially where the consumption of raw fish is common, this has happened, and the disease is called "anisakiasis". This disease is very painful, and people can get it if they eat fish that have live herringworm larvae.

Dead snakes do not cause infection and are safe, but herring worms are very resistant organisms, but one thing is for sure, they do not tolerate high temperatures and die if the temperature of the fish exceeds 60 ° C for 1 minute, so in boiled fish these worms are dead and therefore safe.

Freezing also kills worms, so traditional frozen products do not contain live worms.

Herring worms can survive on mild salt treatment, but they do die in conventional salted fish after a relatively short time. Regarding the effect on herring, it is now required that herring processed in less salt than 15% be previously frozen for 24 hours at -20 ° C.

Smoking alone is not enough to kill the ringworm larvae, they tolerate cold smoking well and therefore it is necessary to freeze the raw material before smoking, but hot smoking should in most cases be enough to make the worm harmless.

Ringworm larvae tolerate marinating well, eg 2% acetic acid and 5% saline, and are still alive after 25 days in such a mixture, but preservatives such as sorbic acid and benzoic acid accelerate their death.

The snakes do not tolerate drying out and all die when the fish is dry.

It is therefore clear that no one needs to be afraid of consuming raw fish, such as sushi.

What needs to be done is to ensure that the raw material producer is certified by the competent authorities, that the producer's internal control and all parties in the value chain are active and that the raw material is frozen at at least -20 degrees per day to remove any doubt about the parasites. Fish from freshwater and freshwater fish must not be confused with wild sea fish, as these parasites are less common in aquaculture and freshwater fish.

Most people know how healthy Icelandic seafood is. Icelandic fish is as clean and free of unwanted substances and the advantage is that the sea area around the country is clean and unpolluted. If you compare the maximum values of the European Union for the amount of these substances, you can clearly see that Icelandic seafood is far below the limit and in some seafood significant quantities are found in the various species.

In fishing we fish off the coast of Iceland, we not only have pure raw material, but it is also full of desirable substances. Fish and other seafood contain important nutrients, such as protein, vitamins and minerals, and healthy fatty acids, omega-3. Many people are aware of the goodness of omega-3 fatty acids and the importance of increasing their share of fatty acids at the expense of other fats, such as omega-6 fatty acids, which are often used in high-processed foods.

Most researchers agree that adequate but moderate intake of omega-3 fatty acids can have a positive effect on health and well-being. It is believed that the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids can:

• Has an anti-inflammatory effect on the body
• Promotes a positive balance of certain lipid levels, which in most cases reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease
• Effected to reduce the mortality rate from prostate cancer
• Promoting positive effects in the treatment of children with ADHD
• Increased effectiveness in treating children with autism
• Reduced dementia in elderly men
• Has had more positive effects, such as increased intelligence, which is still being studied and has yet to be confirmed by results from an increased number of studies

So let's continue to eat one of the healthiest foods on earth, namely Icelandic seafood!

For further information dr. Magnea G. Karlsdóttir, Head of Quality and Processing at Matís.

Apps for iPhone and Android. The freshness of fish can now be assessed with the help of the "How fresh is your fish?" Script. 

The script is based on the Quality Index method (QIM), which is a standardized method for assessing the freshness of fish and was developed in years of collaboration between several research institutes in Europe (www.qim-eurofish.com). In 2001, a manual on sensory evaluation of fresh fish in 11 languages was published by fish research institutes in Iceland, the Netherlands and Denmark, on which the script is based. The handbook contains instructions on sensory evaluation of fish as well as pictures, assessment scales and calculations of shelf life for cod, haddock, herring, deep-sea shrimp, inshore shrimp, peeled shrimp, saithe, redfish, salmon, plaice, plaice, sunflower and sandeel. The QIM method is now used worldwide. "This assessment method is the best on the market for assessing the freshness of fish. You do not need to know how old the fish is, as the program calculates how long the fish can stay fresh ", says Joop Luten, project manager at QIM Eurofish. Joop Luten previously worked for Nofima and was a professor in the Department of Fisheries at the University of Wageningen. He is the main instigator of the development of this successful script. "It is very important that the fish maintains the highest possible quality throughout the entire production process, from fishing to processing, through transport and all the way to the fishmonger. The applet can be used throughout the processing chain, provided the fish is raw, fresh and gutted, ”says Joop Luten.

The script was designed by Nofima in Norway, but other research institutes such as Matís were also involved in its installation. The app is used to assess the freshness of fish and is available for iPhone and Android, is free and intended for fish sellers, fish producers, fish control, quality assessment, in education and for consumers who want to assess the freshness or estimate the shelf life of fish.

The iPhone app was first unveiled in May 2011 at the European Fisheries Exhibition in Brussels. Another version was presented at the Fisheries Exhibition in Bremen in February 2012 and in that version a freshness assessment for more fish species was added. In December 2012, a freshness assessment was added for lightly salted herring (Maatjesherring). The Android app was created in September 2013.

You can estimate the number of species with the applet; cod, haddock, herring, deep-sea shrimp, inland shrimp, peeled shrimp, saithe, redfish, salmon, plaice, plaice, sunflower and sandeel, as well as lightly salted herring (Maatjesherring). The app is available in 11 languages; English, Norwegian, Icelandic, Dutch, Greek, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Danish and Italian.

The applet contains, among other things, information on the shelf life of fish species. You can upload images with results and results can be stored and sent results by email.

The best assessment method

The app provides great opportunities for registration and monitoring for fish producers and their customers. Fish producers have evaluated the fish in a similar way with sensory evaluation. The app gives them the ability to evaluate the fish more efficiently. Their customers can also use the app for quality assessment when they receive the fish and send the results back. In this way, both parties get quicker solutions if problems have arisen, for example in transport. The results of the evaluation and photos can be stored in the database.

The applet helps you in a few steps to evaluate how fresh the fish is

The applet contains instructions for evaluating quality factors such as the eyes, redness and gills of the fish, and you can view photos during the evaluation.

Easy to understand results

The results of the assessment show how fresh the fish is and for how long it should remain viable. The results are shown graphically with graphs.

Easy to store results and find them

All items from each freshness assessment are stored in a database and images can be added to the results. It is easy to retrieve the results of each assessment.

You can download the iPhone app on iTunes and The Android version on Google play

More information on sensory evaluation of fish and the QIM method can be found at Matís cooling portal website and Matís website.

Matís is currently working on an interesting European project where methods will be developed to assess how much of the unwanted contaminants people get from food.

The project is called Total Diet Study Exposure Study, and is working in collaboration with 19 European countries, 7th European Research Program partially sponsors the project.

The project aims to improve and standardize monitoring of how exposed we are to unwanted contaminants in food as they are on consumers' tables. In order to be able to carry out harmonized research, the methods used for food sampling, measurement of contaminants in food, quality assessment of data, etc. must first be harmonized.

The intention is to test different methods that have been used in Europe and to define the best procedures for the research. The methods will then be used to estimate the amount of contaminants that people ingest with their food in several European countries, including Iceland.

It will also summarize which contaminants and foods are most important in assessing the total consumption of undesirable substances in the diet of Europeans, but such information is a key factor in making a risk assessment for the consumption of these substances and assessing their impact on human health.

The project is therefore important for regulators and risk assessors such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The part of the research in which Matís participates includes the development and implementation of a quality framework for parties that conduct research on the total consumption of contaminants, but also the analysis of data on contaminants. Matís will also take part in an experiment to carry out a coordinated study of total consumption of four foreign substances in Iceland, and these results will be compared with comparable studies carried out in the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany and Portugal. Matís also manages a work package that aims to disseminate information regarding the project's results to stakeholders.

The study of the total consumption of contaminants allows us to get a real estimate of how much we are exposed to unwanted contaminants such as heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, fungal toxins and other contaminants from food as we eat it, whether fried, boiled, cooked, grilled, grilled or baked. The project is for four years and is expected to be completed in 2016.

Further information is available on the project's website: www.tds-exposure.eu.

For further information, contact Matís Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir.

Today, high-ranking officials from many countries in Africa, Central America and Asia will sit in school at Matís and get to know Matís' activities and the United Nations Fisheries University (UNU-FTP), but Matís is an important link in the school's studies and sees its quality line.

The purpose of their visit is first and foremost to gain a deeper understanding of what the school has to offer to the people of those countries and continents. There are high-ranking officials on the move who are involved in who gets to study in Iceland, so it is important to know well how the school is doing.

In addition to visiting Matís, the guests will get to know the activities of the Marine Research Institute, the University of Akureyri and other partners of the university, but in collaboration with the university there are many domestic fisheries companies.

About the collaboration between UNU-FTP and Matís

Among the collaborative projects in which Matís participates is the Fisheries School of the United Nations University, and in addition to Matís, the school is run by the Marine Research Institute, the University of Iceland, the University of Akureyri and the University of Hólar. Students 'projects at the school are all done with the needs of the students' home countries in mind. For example, projects have traditionally focused on the creation of quality index scales for mackerel, on the effect of sorbates and chitosan on the shelf life of mackerel, on teaching materials for the development of a HACCP system in the North Korean fishing industry and on the installation of traceability systems in China.

The collaboration between the United Nations University School of Fisheries and Matís has increased steadily in recent years. In addition to undergraduate studies, which all students at the school receive from Matís, the company conducts six-week special studies and each year some of the school's students work on final projects at Matís. In addition, a number of students regularly pursue doctoral and master's studies at the company on a regular basis, so it can be said with truth that Matís is part of the school.

Website of the United Nations University School of Fisheries in Iceland.

For further information Margeir Gissurarson at Matís.

A meeting was recently held on behalf of the project Profitable Arctic charr farming in the Nordic countries. The aim of the project is to test new feed types for char that contain more raw materials from the plant kingdom than have been used in char feed so far.

The project is funded by the Nordic Innovation Fund and is a collaboration between Iceland, Sweden and Norway. The project manager is Jón Árnason Matís ohf, but other participants are Hólar University, Fóðurverksmiðjan Laxá, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Polarfeed in Norway as well as Icelandic, Swedish and Norwegian fish farms. The project tested new feed recipes based on participants' research on the ability of char to utilize feed that contains a large amount of raw materials from the plant kingdom. The protein requirement of charr has also been investigated, but these studies have shown that less protein can be found in charr feed than is used in older recipes. There were over 20 participants in the meeting.

Feed for salmon and char can contain significant amounts of plant raw materials - even over 60%. Plant raw materials are cheaper than fishmeal and a very interesting option for making fodder. In the project, feed was tested with considerably more substitution of fishmeal for plant raw materials than is known in the feed that is now most commonly used in charr farming. Most indications are that charr farming can become a net producer of fish, ie. produced more fish protein than is used in the production.

Jón Árnason, project manager at Matís, gives a talk

The experiments were performed at fish farms in Iceland, Norway and Sweden. It was considered important to carry out experiments in large-scale farming units in fish farms to verify that these types of feed yield comparable results in aquaculture and conventional feed. Several smaller-scale experiments were also performed to further investigate the effects of the feed.

The results are very positive for the charr fire. The growth of char fed with the new feed types was in most cases comparable to the growth of char fed with conventional feed. Feed costs were up to 20% lower with the plant feed, although the profitability was different depending on the experiments. Taste tests with consumers and trained taste panels in Iceland and Sweden revealed that fish produced with plant feed is as tasty as fish produced with traditional feed. The plant feed did not seem to affect the welfare of the char. However, plant foods are likely to increase the release of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds into the environment.

Meeting guests came from the group of fish farmers, marketers and feed producers. The results of the project were discussed from various angles.

There was a consensus that the results presented should not diminish the good reputation of Nordic charr in the markets. The results could also lead to increased efficiency and sustainability in charr production. Reduced use of fishmeal and fish oil in charr feed has both economic and market significance.

For further information Arnljótur Bjarki Bergsson, Head of Resources and Products.

Monday 31 March next. Matís offers courses and a lunch meeting in Nýheimar. The program will be from 10:30 to 16:00 and, among other things, Matís' experts will be interviewed during these hours.

Matísdagurinn on Monday 31 March in Nýheimar. Registration and information with Nína Síbyl Birgisdóttir, nina () matis.is, 422-5136.

Festa - a center for social responsibility presents a morning meeting. At the meeting, the Icelandic fisheries sector will be examined on the basis of the Corporate Social Responsibility methodology.

When: Wednesday, March 26, 2014, at 8.30 to 10.00 (hot in the jug from 8.00)
Where: Grand Hotel Reykjavík
Price: ISK 1,500 members of Fest and ISK 2,700. others

Watch: #ocial Responsibility

At the meeting, the Icelandic fisheries sector will be examined on the basis of the Corporate Social Responsibility methodology. Companies around the world have recently increasingly implemented responsible practices in a targeted manner. Emphasis is placed on the common benefit for companies and society. It emphasizes what companies do to have a positive impact on their environment and society, but at the same time faces their challenges and opportunities for improvement.

Registration: Sign up here

Five speakers highlight the issue:

• Social responsibility from the hook and on the plate - Ketill Berg Magnússon, Festa - Center for Social Responsibility
• Sustainability standards in the fisheries sector - Gísli Gíslason, Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
• Iceland Responsible Fisheries - Guðný Káradóttir, Íslandsstofa
• Responsible food production - Sveinn Margeirsson, Matís
• Responsibility of the fishing industry - Kolbeinn Árnason, LÍU

Panel discussion after presentations

Moderator: 

Karen Kjartansdóttir, LÍÚ Information Officer

More:

• Facebook event
• #ocial Responsibility on Twitter

Today, Friday 21 March, a doctoral defense will take place at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition, University of Iceland. Magnea Guðrún Karlsdóttir, a food scientist, defends her doctoral dissertation Oxidative mechanisms and stability of frozen fish products.

Opponents are dr. Santiago Aubourg Professor at CSIC in Spain (The Spanish Research Council) and dr. Sigríður Jónsdóttir researcher at the University of Iceland. Supervisors in the project were dr. Hörður G. Kristinsson and Professor Sigurjón Arason. Dr. Þórhallur Ingi Halldórsson, President of the Faculty of Food and Nutrition, will chair the ceremony, which will take place in the Celebration Hall of the University of Iceland in the Main Building and will begin at 14:30.

On the subject of the dissertation | Oxidation processes and stability of frozen seafood

Consumption of processed and frozen seafood has increased significantly in recent years due to growing consumer demand for convenient, high-quality food. Fats in fish products are a good source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) which have been shown to have a positive effect on human health. Fish products with a high percentage of PUFA are extremely sensitive to evolution. Preservation of fat quality is therefore one of the main challenges when it comes to storage and processing of seafood. Freezing and cold storage is an effective method for preserving the quality and extending the shelf life of fish products, and it has been used for many years. Despite these advantages, the quality of the products can still deteriorate in cold storage. The aim of this project was therefore to increase knowledge of the different oxidation processes that take place in frozen fish products, as well as to study the variability between lean fish species in terms of stability during prolonged cold storage. The effect of different storage temperatures and raw material quality on the stability of fish products was studied, as well as the effect of heating and continued freezing of cooked products on the quality of the fat. Furthermore, the usefulness of various chemical and rapid measurements to monitor fat degradation was evaluated.

The research of this project provided a deeper understanding of the different processes of oxidation and stability of frozen seafood and how different storage conditions and variability of raw materials affect these processes. Temperature and storage time proved to be very important factors in the stability of frozen products. The quality and stability of the fat in the cold store was also highly dependent on fish species as well as muscle species. Furthermore, prolonged pre-cooking storage had the greatest effect on post-cooking fat stability.   

A short summary in English

Consumption of processed and frozen fish has increased in recent years as a result of an increasing consumer demand for convenient high-quality food products. Fish lipids are a natural and good source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) which have been reported to have several beneficial health effects. However, due to the high amount of PUFA fish lipids are highly susceptible to lipid degradation. Lipid quality preservation is therefore one of the major challenges associated with seafood raw material storage and subsequent processing for food use. Freezing and frozen storage is an effective method of preserving physicochemical properties and to prolong shelf life of fish products. However, some deterioration in fish quality occurs during frozen storage. Therefore, the aim of this project was to gain more understanding of different oxidative processes taking place in frozen fish products, and to investigate how two lean fish species with similar type of commercial utilization, differ in oxidative stability during prolonged frozen storage. The effects of different storage temperature and initial raw material quality on oxidative stability were studied, as well as the impact of cooking and subsequent cooked frozen storage on the lipid quality. Furthermore, the applicability of various chemical lipid quality markers and alternative non-invasive approaches to monitor fish lipid degradation was evaluated.

general information

Magnea Guðrún Karlsdóttir was born in 1978. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in food science in 2008 from the University of Iceland and an MS degree in food science in 2010. In addition to her studies, Magnea has worked for Matís and worked on various research projects.

Magnea's parents are Karl Jóhann Valdimarsson and Erla Þóra Óskarsdóttir. Magnea's husband is Ingvar Júlíus Tryggvason and they have four children together, Ástrós, Erla Ósk, Eva María and Tryggvi.

The project is complete Super-chilled whole fish - for freezing to death which was funded by the AVS Fisheries Research Fund R 062-11 but the project was carried out in collaboration with Matís, Skagan and Rekstrarfélag Eskja.

The project has resulted in increased knowledge of supercooling of white fish, in particular supercooling of whole fish, and the effect of supercooling on quality, freshness and shelf life. The results of experiments are now available, which will be used to design a supercooler for whole fish, but so far Skagan's CBC technology has mainly been used to supercool fillets. Shelf life test performed in the project and storage forecast models indicate that supercooling at -1 ° C can increase the shelf life of whole fish by 2–3 days and the shelf life of fillets by 1 day based on 6 days old raw material during processing. Thus, it must be considered probable that the project's products will be used by fresh fish producers to maximize the quality and safety of their products. By applying supercooling to fish processing, it is possible to put cold products in packaging, which means that fresh fish fillets can be transported to a more distant market than before, while the heat load in transport is minimized.

More detailed results from the project's experiments can be found in Matís reports Super-chilled whole fish - Final Report, Matís report number 12-13 and Effects of supercooling on spoilage processes and shelf life of whole fish and fillets Matís report number 22-12.

For further information Arnljótur Bjarki Bergsson, Head of Resources and Products.