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:
In this webinar, Dr. Douglas Marshall, Chief Scientific Officer of Eurofins Microbiology, discusses the best practices to help resolve product and environmental contamination events with a focus on effective root cause analysis and deployment of corrective actions as well as consideration of successful long-term preventive actions. Original Air Date May 24, 2023
This Environmental Monitoring Guide focuses on why to have an environmental monitoring program (EMP), where and how to perform environmental monitoring with the Zone concept, evaluation of results and root cause analysis when out-of-spec environmental test results are found, and corrective actions to take based on root cause analysis.
In this on-demand webinar, Eurofins Microbiology Laboratories has partnered with Rheonix to explore the challenges centering around recurring Listeria in an environment, and to offer real answers to your nagging Listeria questions and limited industry resources. Original airdate November 14, 2023.
Company X, a leading national supplier of prepared foods, was set with their environmental monitoring program. Their plan and testing protocols were effective and efficient in collecting samples and evaluating for the organisms of concern. The problem was that they had been unable to eliminate the Listeria or trace it back to a source, so they turned to Eurofins and Rheonix.
Managing food safety & quality in fruit & vegetable processing is challenging and extremely dynamic; variable supply chains, seasonal quality issues, minimal pathogen mitigations, and short shelf-life often leaves little time to make critical decisions.
Implementing an Effective Listeria Control Plan for Fresh Produce
What tools do you have in place to prevent cross-contact of allergens in your facility? Check out our helpful and comprehensive guide to understanding and implementing a successful food allergen environmental monitoring plan.
New Rapid Pathogen Testing Services. Eurofins Microbiology Laboratories, Inc. is pleased to share our new Enteric Pathogen Risk Indicator (EPRI™) Testing. This new service is a rapid approach to risk identification and management using fast genetic technology (PCR) with the benefits of an indicator test. In addition, we can screen for Salmonella and Shiga toxigenic E. coli at the same time in one assay.
Did you know the type of swab or sponge in your environmental monitoring program (EMP) is important in regards to the methods used for detection of pathogens? Camila Gadotti discusses this topic in this short video. Eurofins publishes our Ask an Expert Series weekly on our social media platforms.
Are ATP swabs adequate enough for monitoring environmental contamination in your facility? Our Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Doug Marshall explains industry best practices and what might be the best approach. Eurofins publishes our Ask an Expert Series weekly on our social media platforms.
