J. David Legan, PhD
Director of Science
David earned his Ph.D. in Food Technology from the University of Reading in the UK by modeling the ecology of mixed microbial populations, and then moved to Campden BRI in a variety of microbiological food safety research and client service roles. During that time, he was project lead for the Bacillus component of the UK’s pathogen modeling program. He moved again to Nabisco Research in New Jersey where he ran the corporate microbiology lab and developed a program of preservation technology development and microbial modeling. After the Kraft Foods acquisition, he moved to Chicago to work on Food Safety and Preservation research, and through modeling and validation studies:
- Optimized Oscar Mayer’s use of lactate and diacetate and their naturally cultured alternatives as Listeria-control agents in Ready to Eat meats
- Specified process conditions central to Oscar Mayer’s commercial launch of High Pressure Pasteurization of naturally cured RTE meats
David had responsibility for the Kraft cultures R&D group, developed a partnership to explore microwave sterilization leading to several patents, and led a program that developed an internal proprietary natural antimicrobial commercialized in several Kraft products. Technologies from his group supported approximately $4 billion in annual sales.
After years as a microbiology "client", he is now back in the "provider" role as Director of Science at Eurofins Microbiology Laboratories, Inc., by way of the Covance Food Solutions group based in Madison, WI, which he joined in 2016. In this role, he ensures appropriate method validation, explores new testing technologies, and fields multiple complicated food microbiology questions.
Products that his team has evaluated or developed and launched include:
- The 3M MDS platform in the Madison microbiology laboratory
- Flow cytometry for enumeration of probiotics
- Strain-level confirmation of probiotic identification using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
- Next-generation sequencing using the Oxford Nanopore Technologies GridION sequencing platform for microbial identification and microbiome analysis
Below are resources from David:
Developing a new animal veterinary product is a complex, time-consuming process. What should you expect from the development process? What does the typical timeline look like? Get the answers to these questions and more in Part 2 of our Ask an Expert series on developing new veterinary products.
Developing a new animal veterinary product is a complex, time-consuming process. What should be your key considerations? What about guidelines and regulatory bodies? Get the answers to these questions and more in Part 1 of our Ask an Expert series on developing new veterinary products.
Do you work with animal veterinary products? Join Kari Nichols and Leo Schilling as they help you navigate the process for animal veterinary product development. Original airdate March 29, 2023.
A client requested testing for the cGMP-compliant analysis of cattle feed medicated with monensin. Watch our case study video below to learn how Eurofins Animal Health Testing evaluated and validated AOAC Official Method 2006.01 Monensin, Narasin, and Salinomycin in Mineral Premixes, Supplements, and Animal Feeds.
Testing or verifying specifications of your ingredients and products is not always straightforward. Food and feed matrices have complex chemistry that methods need to take into account. This case study shows how our team of scientists helped a company experiencing issues with the Total Mixed Ration cattle feed.
Carotenoids (like beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, lycopene, and astaxanthin) are of great interest in the food, animal feed, and dietary supplement industries for a variety of reasons. However, due to many factors, their stability in product formulations can be challenging. Find out more!
TMR is a high-moisture, non-homogenous sample matrix. This mixture of feed ingredients is challenging to mill and blend for good lab testing. Watch our case study video to learn more.
Eurofins Animal Health Testing is pleased to announce relocation of its 21 CFR part 225/226-compliant cGMP and 21 CFR Part 58-compliant GLP testing laboratory from its legacy facility at 671 S. Meridian Rd, Greenfield, Indiana to a new, state-of-the-art 11,000 square-foot laboratory at 9550 Zionsville Rd., Suite 9, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46268.
Opportunity is rapidly growing for new feed ingredients intended to improve the well-being of both companion animals and livestock. Our webinar aims to address the unique analytical, nutritional, and regulatory challenges that accompany novel animal food ingredients.
This poster discusses the method development of Menadione analysis by Supercritical Fluid Chromatography.
