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 on-demand webinar, you will learn how to assess your microbiological food safety hazards related to these holding steps and determine if pathogen growth and/or toxin production may occur. We will discuss several case studies as well as different strategies you may employ to address these identified risks. Original airdate October 11, 2023.
Microbiological specifications are tools used to help manage risk in a food business. A specification defines the limits of acceptable and unacceptable conditions at important decision points in the manufacturing and distribution continuum, from ingredient specifications to final product specifications. In this white paper we will explore the types, uses, and creation of microbiological specifications.
Eurofins Craft Technologies has a broad range of service offerings, including phytochemical analysis, carotenoid profiles, vitamin testing, and various biological analyses. This flyer highlights the current offerings and details how Craft can support your testing needs.
This case study details how Eurofins The National Food Lab was able to assist an ingredient supplier in understanding their new product's key performance differentiators to demonstrate their value proposition to potential clients.
This case study details how Eurofins The National Food Lab was able to assist a Consumer Packaged Goods company in evaluating the options for plant protein alternatives as a new ingredient option.
PFAS limits and allowances in food contact materials, food products, and the environment are increasing. The FDA banned some PFAS compounds and has strict regulations on others. This flyer provides an overview of PFAS regulationsand how Eurofins can support your PFAS monitoring programs.
In this webinar Jamie Willems, Ph.D. and Lily Zehfus, M.Sc. discuss common causes of off-odor, off-flavor, and flavor scalping issues as well as GC-MS techniques for troubleshooting. Original airdate September 12, 2023.
This case study details how Eurofins The National Food Lab was able to assist a Fortune 100 CPG company in migrating all of its ingredient and formulation data to a new PLM platform.
This case study details how Eurofins The National Food Lab was able to assist a Consumer Packaged Goods company in setting up a new product lifecycle management system.
After collecting your samples making sure that they arrive at the laboratory at the correct temperature is the main priority. This guide walks through FIVE key steps for you to follow.
