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 2016, the FDA updated the Daily Value (DV) and Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for several nutrients, including Vitamin E. The RDIs are published by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and based on the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) of α-Tocopherol, as it is the only form of Vitamin E maintained in the blood and has biological activity. Thus, Vitamin E per NLEA regulations (or mg label claim) is defined as milligrams α-Tocopherol. Review this fact sheet for more information about reporting Vitamin E per the regulations.
What is food chemistry and how it is important in the food industry? Learn more about the basics of this food science discipline and the main components that are studied and testing for food ingredient an product quality and safety.
Watch this webinar to gain an understanding of the difference between the USDA and FDA labeling regulations. Also, learn which products fall into which regulation.
As exponential growth of plant-based foods continues, so does research and innovation with plant proteins. But what is the difference between proteins from plants versus animal sources? What challenges do scientists need to overcome? Learn more in the article!
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!
Food and supplement industry trends show consumers’ want more transparency. Learn more about what consumers are interested in and how working with a transparent third party lab can help you build a more trustworthy brand.
This webinar focuses on best practices for testing dietary supplements with a focus on using scientifically valid test methods. Original air date: April 25, 2022
The multidisciplinary field of food science allows us to have safer, more storage-resistant, nutritious, and better-tasting food products. Gain insights into the different science disciplines that propel the field of Food Science including food chemistry, microbiology, processing, engineering, genomics, and sensory science.
Eurofins SFA is excited to now offer a new FD&C Dye Screen. The FDA approved nine artificial dye molecules for use in foods, drugs, and cosmetics (with some limitations), in addition to a variety of naturally sourced colorants.
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.
