John Birch

Prof. John Birch


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

22Years (2005-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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8 February 2019 in Journal of Food Science and Technology
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Journal Article
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AKAmir Amini Khoozani
Amir Amini Khoozani
JBJohn Birch
John Birch
Alaa El-Din BekhitAlaa El-Din Bekhit
Alaa El-Din Bekhit

1 January 2017 in Food Chemistry
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Journal Article
Closed access
MTMina Tirgar
Mina Tirgar
Patrick SilcockPatrick Silcock
Patrick Silcock
ACAlan Carne
Alan Carne
JBJohn Birch
John Birch

24 February 2014 in Antioxidants
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Journal Article
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STSue-Siang Teh
Sue-Siang Teh
Alaa El-Din BekhitAlaa El-Din Bekhit
Alaa El-Din Bekhit
JBJohn Birch
John Birch
Defatted hemp, flax and canola seed cakes were extracted with different solvent systems namely methanol, ethanol, acetone, methanol 80%, acetone 80% and mixed solvent of methanol:acetone:water (MAW, 7:7:6, v/v/v). Each extract was analyzed for antioxidant capacity using ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assays. MAW exhibited the highest extraction of phenolic and flavonoid contents in the seed cakes, followed by acetone 80% and methanol 80%. The antioxidant capacity was proportional to the polyphenols recovery in the extracts. Canola seed cakes possessed the highest recovery of polyphenols and antioxidant capacity, followed by hemp and flax seed cakes. MAW extract of canola contained total phenolic content, 2104.67 ± 2.52 mg GAE/100 g fresh weight; total flavonoids, 37.79 ± 0.04 mg LUE/100 g fresh weight; percentage inhibition of DPPH•, 33.03 ± 0.38%; FRAP assay, 8.78 ± 0.07 μmol Fe (II)/g fresh weight. Identification of individual polyphenol compounds were performed HPLC. MAW extract of canola had the highest (P < 0.05) concentration of all individual polyphenols except gallic acid and catechin. Highest concentration of quercetin and luteolin in MAW extract of hemp was obtained among all solvent systems.


1 June 2019 in International Journal of Biological Macromolecules
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
AKAmir Amini Khoozani
Amir Amini Khoozani
Alaa El-Din BekhitAlaa El-Din Bekhit
Alaa El-Din Bekhit
JBJohn Birch
John Birch

9 February 2018 in Insects
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Journal Article
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CCClaudia Clarkson
Claudia Clarkson
Miranda MirosaMiranda Mirosa
Miranda Mirosa
JBJohn Birch
John Birch
Although locusts can be sustainably produced and are nutrient rich, the thought of eating them can be hard to swallow for many consumers. This paper aims to investigate the nutritional composition of Locusta migratoria, including the properties of extracted locust protein, contributing to limited literature and product development opportunities for industry. Locusts sourced from Dunedin, New Zealand, contained a high amount of protein (50.79% dry weight) and fat (34.93%), which contained high amounts of omega-3 (15.64%), creating a desirably low omega-3/omega-6 ratio of 0.57. Three protein fractions including; insoluble locust fraction, soluble locust fraction, and a supernatant fraction were recovered following alkali isoelectric precipitation methodology. Initially, proteins were solubilised at pH 10 then precipitated out at the isoelectric point (pH 4). All fractions had significantly higher protein contents compared with the whole locust. The insoluble protein fraction represented 37.76% of the dry weight of protein recovered and was much lighter in colour and greener compared to other fractions. It also had the highest water and oil holding capacity of 5.17 mL/g and 7.31 mL/g, possibly due to larger particle size. The high supernatant yield (56.60%) and low soluble protein yield (9.83%) was unexpected and could be a result of experimental pH conditions chosen.