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:
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.
Should you be testing for Listeria species or Listeria monocytogenes? It is difficult question but one that Karissa Roadhouse from our Eurofins Microbiology lab in Louisville, KY helps us understand better in this short video. Eurofins publishes our Ask an Expert Series weekly on our social media platforms.
Eurofins scientists explain the difference between reporting your microbiology testing in colony forming units (CFU) or as Most Probable Number (MPN) per unit of measure. Are they interchangeable? Learn more!
Are you struggling with positive environmental pathogen tests? This may indicate that your facility is suffering from microbial harborage sites. A harborage site is a growth niche in which bacteria or other microorganisms can reside and grow for months and possibly years.
QTA technical experts will work with client to develop infrared testing methods for their high volume and high frequent products. The tests are easy to use by any operators, non-technical personal with minimal training.
In this article get answers to some frequently asked questions about sterol testing. Learn how the method is run, what matrices it is suitable for, and more.
Oil and water don't mix, but they can be made into an emulsion. In this blog read about how emulsions in food products can pose issues for traditional analytical methods and how Eurofins rises to the challenge with specific methodology for these food products.
In this white paper, you'll learn more about the details of Section 402(a)(1) of the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act that defines adulteration. What is considered contamination? How it can happen. What levels of extraneous material are acceptable? Filth analysis should be part of any HACCP plan that requires examination of raw material.
As Minneola, a hybrid between grapefruit and mandarin, has become more popular it may be susceptible to fraud and/or adulteration. This poster shows the phenolic pattern of this fruit, in relation to other orange, grapefruit and mandarin fruits that may be used to identify its juice or juice concentrate.
Wondering which method is most appropriate for testing crude fat in your samples. Read through the answers to these frequently asked questions for guidance.
