Category: News

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.

Matvælalandið Ísland invites to a conference at Hótel Saga on Thursday 20 March at 12.00 - 16.30 under the heading: Growth in tourism - is the food ready?

Sveinn Margeirsson, CEO of Matís, participates in a panel discussion.

The conference is free and open to all and more information can be found at Samta websiteka Industry. Required to register here.

Matvælalandið Ísland is a co-operation platform for many parties that have to do with food in one way or another and want to strengthen Iceland as a food production country. These include the Ministry of Industry and Innovation, the Farmers' Association of Iceland, Íslandsstofa, the Association of Tourism, the Association of Fish Processing Plants, the Association of Industry, Matís and the University of Iceland.

Matís Consumer Bank is a group of consumers that participates in Matís consumer surveys. By expressing their views in Matís research, participants can influence the development of food in Iceland.

Participants' contributions may include answering a survey online or by telephone, participating in discussion groups or tastings, and giving their opinions on various products.

Matís places great emphasis on confidentiality and secure handling of personal information. All information that Matís receives about individuals is stored securely and handled according to the law on privacy. When presenting data, care is taken that it is not possible to trace answers to individuals.

Matís never provides third party information about respondents in the surveys without their consent.

• Buyers of surveys, such as companies that use Matís 'services, never get access to individuals' answers.
• Matís employees who have access to personal information have a duty to respect the confidentiality of respondents.
• Survey participants are always free to refuse to answer a survey.
• Participants in Matís Neytendabankinn have the opportunity to win prizes for their participation.

Are you interested? Then sign up Matís Consumer Bank.

A conference will be held on 25 June to discuss the Nordic Bioeconomy and the Arctic Bioeconomy.

The bioeconomy

The term bioeconomy has been used to cover all life resources, their interplay and context and their impact on economic, environmental and social factors. Bioeconomic research thus transcends industries and seeks to maximize the benefits of resources without compromising them. Strengthening the bioeconomy An important part of Matís' operations is to strengthen and increase value creation in the bioeconomy, among other things through projects aimed at increasing biomass production and by fostering innovation, working for better utilization and sustainability in production processes and thus more efficient productive resources. Matís' staff therefore welcomes the Nordic emphasis on the bioeconomy and work closely with the Icelandic government on the implementation of three-year presidency projects in this area, which began this year when Iceland took over the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers.

On this occasion, a conference will be held at the Selfoss Hotel on June 25, where these issues will be discussed from various perspectives.

On the website of the Guest Reception / Yourhost you can sign up for the conference.

Innovation in the Nordic and Arctic bioeconomy

Draft agenda

• 09:15 Coffee and registration
• 10:00 Opening the conference | Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture
• 10:15 No standard = no market | Dr. dr. Andreas Hensel, President at BfR                 
• 11:00 Product development in the Arctic Bioeconomy | Sigrún Elsa Smáradóttir, Research group leader, Matís                        
• 11:30 Industry success stories | Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland   
• 12:00 Lunch | Special taste of innovation
• 13:30 Branding of Nordic food | Emil Bruun Blauert, CEO, Executive Advisor and Developer, WNEAT
• 13:50 Microfeed: Turning wood into food | Clas Engström, Managing Director, SP Processum          
• 14:10 Nutrition for the future - Possibilities of the Nordic areas? | Bryndís Eva Birgisdóttir, Associate Professor, University of Iceland
• 14:30 Coffee break             
• 14:50 Food waste: Problem or growth opportunity? | Nils Kristian Afseth, Research Scientist, PhD, Nofima.       
• 15:10 Investing in algae - Ingredients for future food production | Olavur Gregersen, Managing Director, Syntesa Partners & Associates               
• 15:30 Assessing and mitigating risk in the Nordic Bioeconomy | Guðmundur Halldórsson, Research Coordinator, Soil Conservation Service of Iceland
• 15:45 Reflection panel | Nordic and Arctic bioeconomy in local & global perspective
• 16:30 End of conference

More about the Arctic bioeconomy

The bioeconomy in the Arctic One of the projects that Matís has led the way is the Nordic project Arctic Bioeconomy, where Sigrún Elsa Smáradóttir, Director of Business Development, is the project manager. The project is for two years and includes mapping of life resources in the Arctic, assessment of their yield, and comparison and analysis between regions. The focus is on Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands, but almost on living resources in the northern part of Norway, Sweden and Finland. "The project pays special attention to food production with regard to food security, in addition to which the innovation capacity of the areas and individual industries will be assessed. This is done so that it is possible to assess opportunities and threats and subsequently launch projects that strengthen the areas in this field, "says Sigrún Elsa, but the project is expected to be completed in September 2014.

"There are many living resources in the Arctic and they are important for the countries' economies, both directly and indirectly. Here in Iceland, the fisheries sector is one of the main basic industries and data on the state of the fisheries sector are in very good shape, but data relating to other resources, such as land use, are inferior. It is important to compile an overview of resources and their results so that the results can be assessed and how the areas can be strengthened. By increasing the value of products, stimulating and strengthening the bioeconomy and its capacity, we increase economic success, "says Sigrún Elsa, adding that the living resources of this area are changing due to global warming. "It is necessary to monitor these changes closely, they can involve both opportunities and threats. It is important to take advantage of the potential that opens up for food production in this area due to changed living conditions and environmental impact. The unfortunate fact is that while opportunities in this field in the Arctic may increase, they will shrink elsewhere at the same time as the world's population growth continues ".

^{Sigrún Elsa Smáradóttir}

The project aims to strengthen the countries' active participation in international co-operation projects, including at the Nordic level. "When it comes to research programs and support for innovation, it is clear that great emphasis will be placed on the bioeconomy, both in a Nordic and European context," says Sigrún Elsa.

For example, the Nordic Committee for Agricultural and Food Research (NKJ) has developed a strategy for the "Nordic Bioeconomy Initiative". This strategy pays special attention to the sustainability of natural resources and the use of biomass in a similar way as other nations at European level have done. The committee consists of three Icelanders, Torfi Jóhannesson, an expert at the Ministry of Industry and Innovation, Sveinn Margeirsson, CEO of Matís and Sigurður Björnsson, division manager at Rannís. The strategy should, first and foremost, improve and facilitate Nordic co-operation projects aimed at research into the bioeconomy and promote further policy-making in this area. Thus, the intention is to promote sustainable resource utilization in basic production and derivative industries.

"The intention is to strengthen the co-operation of processing industries, such as food production or feed and fertilizer production, with basic industries, such as fisheries and agriculture, and work towards comprehensive solutions that transcend industries and maximize the benefits of utilizing the resources without compromising them. . Sustainable production and utilization of biomass contributes to the economic and social strengthening of the areas adjacent to the resources, increased food production and thus increased food security. It also looks at environmentally friendly production of energy sources from biomass to replace fossil fuels, but then it is important that ways are found so that such production does not come at the expense of food production. High competition for raw materials, on the one hand for food production and on the other hand for energy production, can have serious consequences for food prices and the ability of people in the world to feed themselves, "says Sigrún Elsa.

Icelandic presidency project

The Nordic countries take turns chairing the Nordic Council of Ministers and leading the activities for one year at a time. This year, it will be up to Icelanders to chair the council, and at the same time a three-year presidency program will be launched in the field of bioeconomy, which will bring direct economic benefits to the Nordic countries. The implementation of chairmanship projects in the field of the bioeconomy is now being completed, but Matís has been an active participant in that implementation under the leadership of Sveinn Margeirsson, Matís' CEO.

"The presidency projects will call for increased collaboration between industry and the research and education system in practical value-added projects. The focus will be on how to promote knowledge creation and development in sustainable resource utilization and biomass production in the Nordic countries, and to transfer existing knowledge and technological solutions between regions, "says Sigrún Elsa.

In connection with the chairmanship project, a panel committee, the Nordic Bioeconomy panel, will be formed, which will advise the Nordic Research Fund when it comes to research calls in the field of bioeconomy. In addition, the committee's role must be to promote the Nordic countries 'position abroad when it comes to the bioeconomy, thus facilitating the countries' access to international research grants. The combined forces of the Nordic countries will thus have an impact in this area.

"The fact that Iceland plays a leading role in such co - operation, takes the lead in an ambitious presidency plan in the field of the bioeconomy and plays a leading role in related research in the Arctic, directs the eyes of others to the country as an interesting partner in bioeconomy projects. Broad multinational co-operation in this field, both in research and development, is an important basis for strengthening the bioeconomy and thus economic progress in Iceland, "concludes Sigrún Elsa.

For further information Sigrún Elsa. You can also find interesting material about the big challenges in the near future on Matís video page.

A conference on small boat fishing in the North Atlantic will be held at Matís' headquarters at Vínlandsleið 12 in Reykjavík on March 25-26.

You can follow the conference by visiting the following URL: https://meet.matis.is/jonas/3B0WBFFM

Small boat fishing and sea settlements in many parts of the North Atlantic are currently lagging behind. Difficult operating conditions, low recruitment, high start-up costs, strong competition from other industries and fishing groups, as well as negative rural development are among the factors that make this fishing group difficult to navigate. Nevertheless, there are also many in this sector doing very good things, as people have managed to adapt to new operating conditions and see new opportunities.

Researchers and other stakeholders related to the small boat sector in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland and Newfoundland have in recent months been studying the operating conditions, main problems and potential opportunities within the industry in their countries. These parties are now going to hold a conference in Reykjavík 25-26. March where the status of small boat companies in each of these countries will be reviewed, as well as a comparison will be made of their operating environment. The National Association of Small Boat Owners in each of the aforementioned countries will hold a presentation, experts in the field of marketing of small boat fish will present their research, sellers of various solutions for the small boat sector will present their products, parties offering small boat fishing for tourists will present their activities and much more.

Participation is free and open to all.

More information can be found on the Coastal Fisheries website, www.coastalfisheries.net.

You can register for the conference by sending an e-mail to Jónas R. Viðarsson, jonas@matis.is.