Category: News

Two master's students at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition at the University of Iceland in collaboration with Matís and the Nutrition Research Laboratory, Valgerður Lilja Jónsdóttir and Harpa Hrund Hinriksdóttir, will present their final projects tomorrow at the University of Iceland (Háskólatorg Ht 101: 6 June 14: 00-16: 00). The projects are part of a Nordic project on food enrichment. 

For the past four years, Matís and the company Grímur kokkur have worked together on projects to enrich seafood dishes with organic substances such as algae powder, hydrolyzate and fish oils. The purpose was to utilize antioxidant activity, increase protein content and omega-3 fatty acids. The project was funded by the AVS Fund from 2010 to 2012.

Subsequently, a two-year Nordic project funded by Nordic Innovation was launched, which also focused on the production of food additives. The companies Marinox which produces algae powder, Norður with protein hydrolysates and the Norwegian company BioActiveFoods with tasteless omega-3 powder participated in the project together with the research company VTT in Finland and a Finnish company that produces seafood.

The Nordic project has carried out product development for enriched seafood in collaboration with Grím kokk and an intervention study was carried out to investigate the bioavailability of n-3 fatty acids added to prepared dishes. High hopes are pinned on the results of this project, where innovation and food companies worked together. in connection with universities and knowledge companies. 

Two master's students at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition at the University of Iceland in collaboration with Matís and the Laboratory of Nutrition, Valgerður Lilja Jónsdóttir and Harpa Hrund Hinriksdóttir will present their final projects that were done as part of the Nordic project tomorrow at the University of Iceland (Háskólatorg Ht 101: 6 June 14 : 00-16: 00)

Matís will continue research in this area in the EU project Enrichmar.

Icelandic fresh fish exporters often use cooling mats to maintain low temperatures in fresh fish products in transport, especially air transport. The cooling mats usually contain either ice or some kind of gel, which necessarily contains such a substance that it can come into contact with the fish if the mat breaks, ie. the contents of the mat are "food-grade".

In foreign markets, the selection of cooling mats in question is wide, but in Iceland the largest sellers of cooling mats for fresh fish Promens Tempra in Hafnarfjörður and Ísgel in Blönduós. Tempra produces ice mats, which only contain water, and Ísgel produces gel mats, and it has been argued that there can be great differences in the cooling capacity of the cooling mats in question. To check this, engineering students Hilmar Arnarson and Sandra Björg Helgadóttir recently studied both the melting point and cooling capacity of ice mats from Tempru and gel mats from Ísgel in the course Fisheries Technology 2 at the University of Iceland.

In the experiment, they placed thermostats inside the cooling mats, which were packed in a foam plastic box. The boxes were placed in the freezer for a few days before standing at room temperature until the cooling mats were fully thawed. The temperature measurements did not reveal a significant difference in either the melting point of the ice and cooling mats (it was approximately 0.0 +/- 0.3 ° C) nor the cooling capacity (the ability of the cooling mats to maintain low food temperatures), see figure 1.

For further information Sigurjón Arason, professor at the University of Iceland and Matís' chief engineer.

Figure 1. Temperature inside ice mats from Promens Tempra and gel mats from Ísgel during thawing.

Trackwell and Matís have a long and successful collaboration and are projects like The margin manager, The Product Manager and FisHmark an example of a successful collaboration between the two companies. At the Innovation Square of the Confederation of Icelandic Industries, which was held on 23 and 24 May, Jón Ingi Björnsson, CEO of Trackwell, and Sveinn Margeirsson, CEO of Matís, signed a letter of intent for even closer cooperation. 

In the above projects, and more, the Rannís Technology Development Fund has provided funding and provided financial support for the projects together with the AVS fund.

A key product of the companies' co-operation is and has been a catch registration system that Icelandic and foreign fisheries companies use to increase value creation, improve utilization and minimize the environmental impact of fishing.

It is clear that the projects that TrackWell and Matís have worked on together have given fisheries companies increased data transparency and thus facilitated the management of fishing and processing. It is important to utilize the data generated in the value chain in a systematic way to maximize the margin and profitability of the industry as a whole.

Trackwell and Matís are pleased with the current collaboration, its products and the opportunities that have been created when two powerful parties work together. The intention is to further increase the collaboration and increased emphasis will be placed on marketing issues where both parties ensure that each other's importance in joint projects is visible. 

For further information Sveinn Margeirsson, CEO of Matís.

Today, a co-operation agreement was signed between Matís, Snæfellsbær, Grundarfjarðarbær and Stykkishólmsbær on support for doctoral projects Birgis Arnar Smárason in Environmental and Resource Studies at the University of Iceland. Birgir Örn works at Matís' office in Akureyri.

From today's signature. Sveinn Margeirsson, CEO of Matís (farthest), Lárus Ástmar Hannesson, Mayor of Stykkishólmsbær, Björn Steinar Pálmason, Mayor of Grundafjaðarbær and Kristinn Jónasson, Mayor of Snæfellsbær.

The project will support the Icelandic Presidency's plan for utilization of the bioeconomy, Nordbio (@Nordbio). It is based on analyzing underused or unused raw material streams and biomaterials from the environment of Breiðafjörður. The aim is, among other things, to build a network of stakeholders in Snæfellsnes and co-operate under the auspices of environmentally friendly innovation.

For further information Sveinn Margeirsson, CEO of Matís.

Ragnheiður Elín Árnadóttir, Minister of Industry and Trade, was right to present a prize in the EcoTrophelia Ísland competition run by Matís, together with the Icelandic Innovation Center, the University of Iceland and numerous institutions at home and abroad. The award was presented at Nýsköpunartorgi Samtaka iðnaðarinn held today and tomorrow in Reykjavík University.

EcoTrophelia Iceland is part of international competition and is a product development competition among university students that involves developing environmentally friendly food. The aim of the competition is to reduce the environmental impact of Icelandic food production by creating new environmentally friendly food and beverage products. These include the use of underutilized raw materials, the use of new and environmentally friendly production methods, packaging or modes of transport. The competition is run by the Icelandic Innovation Center, Matís and the Confederation of Icelandic Industries in collaboration with Icelandic universities.

Two teams competed for the finals this year. The other team consists of Brynja Einarsdóttir, Guðjóna Björk Þorbjarnardóttir and Hrefna Lind Einarsdóttir and they had the product BEjuicy which is a freeze-dried vegetable juice in powder form. The other team consists of Christopher Melin and Páll Arnar Hauksson with the product Fjöra which is kelp mayonnaise. It so happened that the intestinal mayonnaise was chosen the winner of Ecotrophelia Iceland this time.

Ragnheiður Elín Árnadóttir, Minister of Industry and Trade, presents the EcoTrophelia Iceland 2014 award.

Fjaran mayonnaise is a fun innovation in the food market. The mayonnaise is made from Icelandic seaweed and the seaweed is sun-dried on Icelandic lava. The product is suitable for vegetarians (vegans) as well as others who are interested in adding nutrients to their diet. Further information can be found on the product's website, http://www.p.is/fjara/.

For further information Ragnheiður Héðinsdóttir, director of the food division at the Confederation of Icelandic Industries and Guðjón Þorkelsson, division manager at Matís.

Are you interested in creating a product? Matís food factories are an ideal venue.

The Innovation Square will be held at Reykjavík University on 23 and 24 May. This is a professional conference on the working environment and development process of innovative companies and an exhibition where companies and institutions present results in innovation. Nýsköpunartorgið is held in connection with the 20th anniversary of the Confederation of Icelandic Industries and the 10th anniversary of the Technology Development Fund.

PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCE
Friday 23 May at 8.45-17.00

The professional conference begins with a joint program in Sólinn, after which seminars will be held in six rooms of the university. On the one hand, there are three lines on the development process of innovative companies where companies are divided into departments according to their stage of development, and on the other hand seminars on related support services such as copyright, patents and standards. Conference guests can choose the lectures that interest them the most.

REGISTRATION

Agenda:

Joint program at 8.45-10.00 

• speech - Ari Kristinn Jónsson, Rector of RU
• Sentence - Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, Prime Minister
• Increased productivity, value creation and exports - Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir, chairman of SI
• The state's investments in innovation - Technology Development Fund
• Operating and support systems for innovative companies - Salóme Guðmundsdóttir, Innovit Klak

Seminars at 10.10-15.00 

Division 3 seminars: companies with an annual turnover of 0-10 million

• In the starting blocks - The first sale - The first development project - Initial financing

Division 2 seminars: companies with an annual turnover of 10-100 million

• Product adaptation - Continuing financing - Market structure - Process development and organization

Division 1 seminars: companies with an annual turnover of 100-1000 million

• Streamlined Management - Upscaling / Comprehensive Solutions - Growth Financing - Globalization

Seminars for service and professionals

• CE marking - Patents - Information security - Electronic commerce - Foreign co-operation and grants - Technology Development Fund - NMÍ Services - Iceland Stock Exchange - SI Services - NSA Equity Financing - Energy Management of Companies

During the lunch break there will be refreshments in the Sun. Ragnheiður Elín Árnadóttir, Minister of Industry, will present the exhibition at Nýsköpunartorg and awards will be presented at Ecotrophelia Iceland, a competition for environmentally friendly food innovation.

Following the seminars, Bjarni Benediktsson, Minister of Finance, will present the Growth Sprout's recognition. Serve light snacks.

VIEW here

Exciting INNOVATION SQUARE for the whole family
Saturday 24 May at 11.00-17.00

All those who are interested in innovation and technology will be invited to Nýsköpunartorgið. About 70 innovative companies and institutions present products and services, but in addition there will be various events for the whole family, e.g. 

• Company presentations on technology opportunities - See AGENDA
• Pollapunk takes the song
• Blocked by Mindstorm
• Played with Casino Friends
• GameCreator's four winning teams introduce new video games
• Measurements of the condition of the skin available EGF skin care products
• Try cycling with the world's lightest bicycle fork
• How is electricity created?
• Innovation competition for primary school students
• Real or fake? Fake products on display
• Take part in an innovation on Sky's word wall where you search for Icelandic in English computer terms 
• and more fun…

VIEW exhibitors

Admission to the show is free.

Objectives The objectives of Nýsköpunartorg are to create a clear picture of the success and development of the technology and intellectual property industry and the involvement of the support system and the Technology Development Fund and to this development as well as to build a strong and positive image of these companies by showing and reporting innovation in different companies.

The Confederation of Icelandic Industries, Tækniþróunarsjóður, RU, Einkaleyfastofa and Ský and other parties related to the innovation environment in Iceland are responsible for Nýsköpunartorgin.

More information can be found at website of the Confederation of Icelandic Industries.

Matís, Promens, Thor Ice, Sjávarútvegsklasi Vestfjarði, Eimskip and Samskip are collaborating on a project that involves transporting fresh fish products in pots and boxes and are looking for two students in master's studies or who are on their way to master's studies.

These are two master's projects and the possible scope of both is 30–60 ECTS (one to two semesters). The projects are particularly suitable for master's students in mechanical / industrial engineering, food or business. AVS Fisheries Research Fund (www.avs.is) covers the costs of the master's projects listed below.

Task 1-goal

Economic comparison of different packaging and transport methods for fresh fish products from Iceland to markets in Europe and America. The analysis takes into account the cost of different processing cooling methods, packaging, transport and deterioration of products. An accurate assessment of the volume utilization of refrigerated containers during transport in boxes on the one hand and pots on the other is part of the project.

Task 2-goal

Estimate the optimal amount and type (salt and ice ratio) of an ice scraper in a 340 L food vessel by experiment and / or heat transfer modeling with a target fish temperature of -1.0 ° C. This will be done for two possible cases of ambient temperature in the container transport of containers, i.e. -0.5 ° C and 3 ° C and two possible initial fish temperatures, i.e. 0 ° C and 5 ° C. It also involves finding the minimum amount and ice percentage of ice scrapers that need to be used in pots that are exposed to significant heat stress (higher ambient temperatures).

Working hours: May 2014 – April 2015

For further information, please contact Sigurjón Arason, Professor at the University of Iceland and Matís' Chief Engineer (sigurjon.arason@matis.is) and dr. Björn Margeirsson, Research Director of Promens (bjorn.margeirsson@promens.com).

Matvælastofnun's consultation meeting was held yesterday, but the consultation meeting is a forum for Matvælastofnun, regulators and other customers of the agency to strengthen communication between themselves and present views in an interactive way.

Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir, Matís' director at the congress, reviewed product safety and also discussed a new laboratory in Matís' premises, but the opening of the laboratory on Matís' news website is discussed in detail.

Further information about the consultation session can be found on the website of the Food Administration, www.mast.is, but further information about the new laboratory and the Safe Food project can be found on Matís' website, www.matis.is.

The occasion was the opening of a magnificent laboratory at Vínlandsleið 12 in Reykjavík, which was set up as part of the collaborative project Safe Food.

The Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, was present at the opening, along with the German Ambassador to Iceland, Thomas Hermann Meister, both of whom gave short speeches and formally opened the laboratory with clippings. Ágústa Guðmundsdóttir, who sits on the board of Matís, also gave a good speech about the importance of the research facility for the public, for Icelandic food production and for Matís and how the facility will be used in, among other things, studies in food and nutrition at the University of Iceland.

^{Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, Sigurður
Ingi Jóhannsson and the German Ambassador to Iceland,
Thomas Hermann Meister, formally open the facility.}

The Safe Food project is intended to ensure food safety and protect Icelandic consumers. The project enables the Icelandic authorities, the Food Administration and the municipal health inspectorate to better enforce legislation on food safety and consumer protection. Safe food is developed in collaboration with Matís, Matvælastofnun, the Ministry of Industry and Innovation, the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) and the Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (LAVES) in Germany.

With the opening of the research facility and with improved equipment, it will be possible to carry out much more measurements domestically than is currently the case, such as measurements of algae toxins in shellfish and measurements of 300 pesticides in food instead of the 60 currently measured.

The Safe Foods project will undoubtedly be a great springboard for Icelandic consumers, regulators and not least for producers and retailers. Consumers want more information about the substances that are and are not in the foods they consume and manufacturers and retailers also want this information to further increase consumer confidence in their products.

For further information Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir, director of Matís.

At Matís, specific methods have been developed to detect noroviruses in food and water, but the viruses are contagious and can cause very severe intestinal infections in humans.

 Noroviruses are found where faecal contamination has occurred and require a more sensitive method to detect them than conventional methods used to detect faecal contamination in food and water.

The methods that Matís has developed for the analysis of noroviruses are molecular biological methods with so-called PCR technology (Polymerase Chain Reaction). The use of PCR methods for microbiological analysis has increased significantly in recent years, but with technology it is now possible to detect the presence of noroviruses in food and water and thus prevent the spread of the viruses. Group infections caused by norovirus can be a serious problem as they occur and it is therefore important to prevent the spread of the virus.

It is mainly foods that are consumed raw or undercooked, such as shellfish, vegetables and fruits, that are a cause for concern in the case of norco-infections. The virus can withstand frost but dies when heated above 60 ° C. Consumption of shellfish has long been considered a major cause of foodborne infections caused by norovirus, and group infections caused by contaminated shellfish are common. However, the number of group infections that have not been attributed to shellfish consumption has focused on other foods, especially prepared foods, fruits, vegetables and drinking water as risk factors.

Apply new analytical methods

"Matís has set up methods for the analysis of noroviruses in drinking water, surface water and food and we can now detect noroviruses of genotypes I and II, but these are the types that mainly infect humans," says Anna Kristín Daníelsdóttir, division manager at Matís.