Professor Russell D. Frew, Our people, Department of Chemistry, University of Otago, New Zealand

russell_frew PhD BSc(Hons) (Otago)

Tel: 03 479 7913
Location: Science II 3n12
Email: rfrew@chemistry.otago.ac.nz

Main research interests

Trace metals in natural waters
Stable isotope geochemistry
Paleo-chemistry
Geochemical provenancing

Current research projects

Determining the geographical origin of food and other commodities of interest:
The geochemical composition of a natural product provides a inherent signature that can be related to its point of origin. We are currently working on developing robust tools encompassing analyses (light isotopes, trace metals and heavy isotopes), databasing and statistical interpretation. Projects on whole foods (e.g. honey, coffee, edible oils) are on-going and attention is now on deciphering the signal within complex mixtures.

Nitrogen in the oceans, fate and fluxes:
Nitrogen compounds i the ocean play an important role in sustaining primary productivity and some are implicated as potential climate modifiers. However the the controls of the rates and pathways of the cycling of nitrogen from the relatively inert N₂(g) through the essential nutrients NO₃ and NH₄, amino acids and various gaseous oxides is not well understood. The potential of climate change underlines the importance of understanding the marine biogeochemistry of nitrogen. For example, the regions of nitrogen fixation will increase with global warming thereby enhancing the marine fixed nitrogen pool. On the other hand nitrous oxide is a significant greenhouse gas with a global warming potential 300 times that of CO₂ on a molecular basis. This project applies isotopic tools to unravel the complexities of the marine nitrogen systematics.

^ Top of page

Publications

Anh, H. L., Nhan, D. D., Frew, R., & Quynh, T. M. (2022). Application of stable isotope technique to authenticate the geographical origin of imported apple products. Journal of Radioanalytical & Nuclear Chemistry. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s10967-022-08450-7

Schlieman, C. D., Wing, S. R., O'Connell-Milne, S. A., McMullin, R. M., Durante, L. M., Kolodzey, S., & Frew, R. D. (2022). Catchment modifications influence the composition of basal organic matter supporting suspension-feeding bivalves. Estuarine, Coastal & Shelf Science. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.ecss.2022.107989

Gregorčič, S. H., Ogrinc, N., Frew, R., Nečemer, M., Strojnik, L., & Zuliani, T. (2022). Reply to Horacek, M. The need to consider geochemistry when interpreting Sr-isotopes: Comment on "Gregorčič et al. The provenance of Slovenian milk using ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotope ratios. Foods 2021, 10, 1729”. Foods, 11, 581. doi: 10.3390/foods11040581

Kalpage, M., Dissanayake, C., Diyabalanage, S., Chandrajith, R., Frew, R., & Fernando, R. (2022). Stable isotope and element profiling for determining the agroclimatic origin of cow milk within a tropical country. Foods, 11(3), 275. doi: 10.3390/foods11030275

Zhu, D., Hayman, A., Frew, R., Kebede, B., Chen, G., & Stewart, I. (2022). Milk powder extraction: Optimization of conditions for the water-soluble metabolites by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR). Analytical Letters, 55(1), 1-10. doi: 10.1080/00032719.2021.1907588

McComb, K., & Frew, R. (2013). Using new analytical approaches to verify the origin of honey. In P. Brereton (Ed.), New analytical approaches for verifying the origin of food. (pp. 216-242). Cambridge, UK: Woodhead. doi: 10.1533/9780857097590.3.216

Chapter in Book - Research

Sander, S. G., Hunter, K., & Frew, R. (2009). Sampling and measurements of trace metals in seawater. In O. Wurl (Ed.), Practical guidelines for the analysis of seawater. (pp. 305-327). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

Chapter in Book - Research

North, J. C., & Frew, R. D. (2007). Isotopic characterisation of leachate from seven New Zealand landfills. In E. C. Lehmann (Ed.), Landfill research focus. (pp. 199-261). New York: Nova Science.

Chapter in Book - Research

Heywood, K. J., Locarnini, R. A., Frew, R. D., King, B. A., & Dennis, P. (1998). Transport and water masses of the Antarctic slope front system in the eastern Weddell sea. In S. Jacobs & R. Weiss (Eds.), Ocean, Ice and Atmosphere: Interactions at the Antartic Continential Margin. (pp. 203-214). AGU Antarctic Research Series.

Chapter in Book - Research

Dennis, P. J., Heywood, K. J., & Frew, R. D. (1997). Oxygen Isotope Studies. In R. T. Pollard & D. Smythe-Wright (Eds.), Understanding Ocean Circulation. (pp. 31-32). UK: WOCE.

Chapter in Book - Research

Journal - Research Article

Diyabalanage, S., Kalpage, M. D., Mohotti, D. G., Dissanayake, C. K. K., Fernando, R., Frew, R. D., & Chandrajith, R. (2021). Comprehensive assessment of essential and potentially toxic trace elements in bovine milk and their feeds in different agro-climatic zones of Sri Lanka. Biological Trace Element Research, 199, 1377-1388. doi: 10.1007/s12011-020-02242-4

Journal - Research Article

Durante, L. M., Smith, R. O., Kolodzey, S., McMullin, R. M., Salmond, N. H., Schlieman, C. D., O'Connell-Milne, S. A., Frew, R. D., Van Hale, R., & Wing, S. R. (2021). Oceanographic transport along frontal zones forms carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen isoscapes on the east coast of New Zealand: Implications for ecological studies. Continental Shelf Research, 216, 104368. doi: 10.1016/j.csr.2021.104368

Journal - Research Article

Gregorčič, S. H., Ogrinc, N., Frew, R., Nečemer, M., Strojnik, L., & Zuliani, T. (2021). The provenance of Slovenian milk using ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotope ratios. Foods, 10(8), 1729. doi: 10.3390/foods10081729

Journal - Research Article

Sanchez, L. J., Zhu, D., Frew, R., & Kebede, B. (2021). Optimization of nuclear magnetic resonance and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-based fingerprinting methods to characterize goat milk powder. Journal of Dairy Science, 104(1), 102-111. doi: 10.3168/jds.2020-18467

Journal - Research Article

Zhu, D., Kebede, B., McComb, K., Hayman, A., Chen, G., & Frew, R. (2021). Milk biomarkers in relation to inherent and external factors based on metabolomics. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 109, 51-64. doi: 10.1016/j.tifs.2020.12.012

Journal - Research Article

Durante, L. M., Sabadel, A. J. M., Frew, R. D., Ingram, T., & Wing, S. R. (2020). Effects of fixatives on stable isotopes of fish muscle tissue: Implications for trophic studies on preserved specimens. Ecological Applications, 30(4), e02080. doi: 10.1002/eap.2080

Journal - Research Article

Ellwood, M. J., Boyd, P. W., Cornwall, C. E., Croot, P., Currie, K. I., Frew, R. D., … Law, C., … McGraw, C. M., … Stirling, C., & Zitoun, R. (2020). Keith Hunter's legacy to marine science in New Zealand. Marine & Freshwater Research, 71(3), i-iii. doi: 10.1071/MFv71n3_ED

Journal - Research Article

Frew, R. D., Adu, T., Gault-Ringold, M., Hamidian, A., Currie, K. I., Armstrong, E., & Hunter, K. A. (2020). Strong seasonality in the cadmium and phosphate cycling at the subtropical convergence, south-eastern New Zealand. Marine & Freshwater Research, 71, 345-354. doi: 10.1071/MF19216

Journal - Research Article

Holder, P. W., Van Hale, R. J., Frew, R., George, S., & Armstrong, K. F. (2020). Natal origin of the invasive biosecurity pest, brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys: Penatomidae), determined by dual-element stable isotope-ratio mass spectrometry. Pest Management Science, 76, 1456-1463. doi: 10.1002/ps.5659

Journal - Research Article

Wijenayake, K., Frew, R., McComb, K., Van Hale, R., & Clarke, D. (2020). Feasibility of casein to record stable isotopic variation of cow milk in New Zealand. Molecules, 25(16), 3658. doi: 10.3390/molecules25163658

Journal - Research Article

Zhu, D., Kebede, B., Chen, G., McComb, K., & Frew, R. (2020). Changes in milk metabolome during the lactation of dairy cows based on ¹H-NMR and UHPLC-QToF/MS. International Dairy Journal, 111, 104836. doi: 10.1016/j.idairyj.2020.104836

Journal - Research Article

Zhu, D., Kebede, B., Chen, G., McComb, K., & Frew, R. (2020). Effects of the vat pasteurization process and refrigerated storage on the bovine milk metabolome. Journal of Dairy Science, 103, 2077-2088. doi: 10.3168/jds.2019-17512

Journal - Research Article

Zhu, D., Kebede, B., Chen, G., McComb, K., & Frew, R. (2020). Impact of freeze-drying and subsequent storage on milk metabolites based on ¹H NMR and UHPLC-QToF/MS. Food Control, 116, 107017. doi: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2019.107017

Journal - Research Article

Babaranti, O., Horn, S., Jowett, T., & Frew, R. (2019). Isotopic signatures in Mytilus galloprovincialis and Ulva latuca as bioindicators for assessing discharged sewage effluent in coastal waters along Otago Peninsula, New Zealand. Geology, Ecology & Landscapes, 3(1), 53-64. doi: 10.1080/24749508.2018.1485079

Journal - Research Article

McComb, K., Sarker, S., and also Hoogewerff, J., Hayman, A., & Frew, R. (2019). A δ2H Isoscape of blackberry as an example application for determining the geographic origins of plant materials in New Zealand. PLoS ONE, 14(12), e0226152. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0226152

Journal - Research Article

Sabadel, A. J. M., Van Oostende, N., Ward, B. B., Woodward, E. M. S., Van Hale, R., & Frew, R. D. (2019). Characterization of particulate organic matter cycling during a summer North Atlantic phytoplankton bloom using amino acid C and N stable isotopes. Marine Chemistry, 214, 103670. doi: 10.1016/j.marchem.2019.103670

Journal - Research Article

Udy, J. A., Wing, S. R., O'Connell-Milne, S. A., Durante, L. M., McMullin, R. M., Kolodzey, S., & Frew, R. D. (2019). Regional differences in supply of organic matter from kelp forests drive trophodynamics of temperate reef fish. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 621, 19-32. doi: 10.3354/meps12974

Journal - Research Article

Udy, J., Wing, S., O'Connell-Milne, S., Kolodzey, S., McMullin, R., Durante, L., & Frew, R. (2019). Organic matter derived from kelp supports a large proportion of biomass in temperate rocky reef fish communities: Implications for ecosystem-based management. Aquatic Conservation, 29, 1503-1519. doi: 10.1002/aqc.3101

Journal - Research Article

Van Hale, R., Schofield, M., Connor, M., Barker, R., & Frew, R. (2019). Stable isotope measurements to differentiate sources of monofluoroacetate in a blackmail case. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 33, 839-847. doi: 10.1002/rcm.8416

Journal - Research Article

Wakefield, J., McComb, K., Ehtesham, E., Van Hale, R., Barr, D., Hoogewerff, J., & Frew, R. (2019). Chemical profiling of saffron for authentication of origin. Food Control, 106, 106699. doi: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2019.06.025

Journal - Research Article

Zhu, D., Hayman, A., Kebede, B., Stewart, I., Chen, G., & Frew, R. (2019). ³¹P NMR-based phospholipid fingerprinting of powdered infant formula. Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry, 67(36), 10265-10272. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.9b03902

Journal - Research Article

Gorman, A. R., Vennell, R., Holbrook, W. S., & Frew, R. (2018). Seismic characterization of oceanic water masses, water mass boundaries and mesoscale eddies SE of New Zealand. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 123(2), 1519-1532. doi: 10.1002/2017JC013459

Journal - Research Article

Li, Q., Yu, Z., Zhu, D., Meng, X., Pang, X., Liu, Y., Frew, R., … Chen, G. (2017). The application of NMR-based milk metabolite analysis in milk authenticity identification. Journal of the Science of Food & Agriculture, 97(9), 2875-2882. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.8118

Journal - Research Article

Li, Q., Zhao, Y., Zhu, D., Pang, X., Liu, Y., Frew, R., & Chen, G. (2017). Lipidomics profiling of goat milk, soymilk and bovine milk by UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry. Food Chemistry, 224, 302-309. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.12.083

Journal - Research Article

Rajapaksha, D., Waduge, V., Padilla‐Alvarez, R., Kalpage, M., Rathnayake, R. M. N. P., Migliori, A., Frew, R., … Amarakoon, T. (2017). XRF to support food traceability studies: Classification of Sri Lankan tea based on their region of origin. X-Ray Spectrometry, 46(4), 220-224. doi: 10.1002/xrs.2748

Journal - Research Article

Sabadel, A. J. M., Browning, T. J., Kruimer, D., Airs, R. L., Woodward, E. M. S., Van Hale, R., & Frew, R. D. (2017). Determination of picomolar dissolved free amino acids along a South Atlantic transect using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Marine Chemistry, 196, 173-180. doi: 10.1016/j.marchem.2017.09.008

Journal - Research Article

Wing, S. R., Gault-Ringold, M., Stirling, C. H., Wing, L. C., Shatova, O. A., & Frew, R. D. (2017). δ⁵⁶Fe in seabird guano reveals extensive recycling of iron in the Southern Ocean ecosystem. Limnology & Oceanography, 62(4), 1671-1681. doi: 10.1002/lno.10524

Journal - Research Article

Li, Q., Meng, X., Zhu, D., Pang, X., Wang, K., Frew, R., & Chen, G. (2016). Determination of nonprotein nitrogen components of milk by nuclear magnetic resonance. Analytical Letters, 49(18), 2953-2963. doi: 10.1080/00032719.2016.1164180

Journal - Research Article

Nielsen, J. A., Frew, R. D., Whigham, P. A., Callaway, R. M., & Dickinson, K. J. M. (2016). Thyme travels: ¹⁵N isoscapes of Thymus vulgaris L. invasion in lightly grazed pastoral communities. Austral Ecology, 41(1), 28-39. doi: 10.1111/aec.12284

Journal - Research Article

Sabadel, A. J. M., Woodward, E. M. S., Van Hale, R., & Frew, R. D. (2016). Compound-specific isotope analysis of amino-acids: A tool to unravel complex symbiotic trophic relationships. Food Webs, 6, 9-18. doi: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2015.12.003

Journal - Research Article

Ehtesham, E., Hayman, A., Van Hale, R., & Frew, R. (2015). Influence of feed and water on the stable isotopic composition of dairy milk. International Dairy Journal, 47, 37-45. doi: 10.1016/j.idairyj.2015.02.008

Journal - Research Article

Holder, P. W., Frew, R., & Van Hale, R. (2015). The geographic origin of an intercepted biosecurity pest beetle assigned using hydrogen stable isotopes. Journal of Economic Entomology, 108(2), 834-837. doi: 10.1093/jee/tou097

Journal - Research Article

Jandrić, Z., Haughey, S. A., Frew, R. D., McComb, K., Galvin-King, P., Elliott, C. T., & Cannavan, A. (2015). Discrimination of honey of different floral origins by a combination of various chemical parameters. Food Chemistry, 189, 52-59. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.11.165

Journal - Research Article

Muhammad, S. A., Frew, R. D., & Hayman, A. R. (2015). Compound-specific isotope analysis of diesel fuels in a forensic investigation. Frontiers in Chemistry, 3, 12. doi: 10.3389/fchem.2015.00012

Journal - Research Article

Muhammad, S. A., Hayman, A. R., Van Hale, R., & Frew, R. D. (2015). Assessing carbon and hydrogen isotopic fractionation of diesel fuel n-alkanes during progressive evaporation. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 60(S1), S56-S65. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.12551

Journal - Research Article

Nielsen, J. A., Frew, R. D., Whigham, P. A., Callaway, R. M., & Dickinson, K. J. M. (2015). Germination and growth responses of co-occurring grass species to soil from under invasive Thymus vulgaris. Allelopathy, 35(1), 139-152.

Journal - Research Article

Nielsen, J. A., Whigham, P. A., Frew, R. D., Callaway, R. M., & Dickinson, K. J. M. (2015). Thyme and space invasion: Thymus vulgaris decreases exotic plant species diversity in Central Otago, New Zealand. Biological Invasions, 17(8), 2261-2274. doi: 10.1007/s10530-015-0872-9

Journal - Research Article

Parr, E. B., Cotter, J. D., Frew, R. D., & Rehrer, N. J. (2015). Muscle glycogen dominates females fuel usage in moderately intensive endurance exercise even in the cold. Annals of Sports Medicine & Research, 2(3), 1021.

Journal - Research Article

Sander, S. G., Tian, F., Ibisanmi, E. B., Currie, K. I., Hunter, K. A., & Frew, R. D. (2015). Spatial and seasonal variation of the iron speciation in surface waters of the Subantarctic front and the Otago Continental Shelf. Marine Chemistry, 173, 114-124. doi: 10.1016/j.marchem.2014.09.001

Journal - Research Article

Holder, P. W., Armstrong, K., Van Hale, R., Millet, M.-A., Frew, R., Clough, T. J., & Baker, J. A. (2014). Isotopes and trace elements as natal origin markers of Helicoverpa armigera: An experimental model for biosecurity pests. PLoS ONE, 9(3), e92384. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0092384

Journal - Research Article

Nielsen, J. A., Frew, R. D., Whigham, P. A., Callaway, R. M., & Dickinson, K. J. M. (2014). Thyme invasion and soil properties in the Central Otago region of New Zealand. Geoderma Regional, 1, 48-58. doi: 10.1016/j.geodrs.2014.08.002

Journal - Research Article

More publications...