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:
Pathogen detection in foods and environmental samples is a critical element in a food management system. This study set out to compare the robustness of Loop Mediated Amplification (LAMP) with that of PCR as illustrated by the detection threshold of Listeria and Salmonella spiked into culture broths previously incubated with various spices.
Enumeration provides the most basic required information with methodologies evolving to provide improved accuracy, precision, and turnaround times. Acoustic-assisted hydrodynamic flow cytometry incorporates the advance of using sound waves to align the particles in the fluid stream for counting, reducing the time to result.
As probiotic consumption rates continue to grow, stakeholders are demanding more information about the quantity, quality, and identity of organisms in probiotic products. Increasingly, flow cytometry is being used to address manufacturers’ and consumers’ demands, and has shown promise in rapidly providing precise quantitative and qualitative probiotic information.
Fingerprinting Fruits Using Coumarins & Psoralens, Authentication Tool for Meyer Lemons
This poster describes some of the work Eurofins has conducted on procedures to help control the quality of agave syrups.
Salmonella depends on an effective food safety program supported by robust Salmonella detection methods. Our objective is to explore recovery of Salmonella from a background of probiotic cultures and demonstrate and validate as effective, sensitive method for detecting Salmonella in probiotic cultures to protect public health.
Originally showcased at the 2016 annual AOAC meeting, this poster presents data for the “new” variety that will be valuable to anyone who buys or uses this type of fruit for processing.
FAMI-QS is the only global Quality and Feed Safety Management System for the sector of Specialty Feed Ingredients. Our webinar aims to provide participants with the information they need regarding the requirements of the FAMI-QS Version 6.
This Proposition 65 Guide will help food, ingredient, and supplement companies navigate the regulatory and testing challenges that Proposition 65 presents when selling products into the state of California.
Eurofins Scientific (EUFI.PA), a global scientific leader in bioanalytical testing, announces the successful closing of the transaction to acquire Covance Food Solutions from LabCorp (LH: NYSE), a leading global life sciences company. Covance Food Solutions provides product integrity, food safety, product development and consulting solutions for end-use segments that span the life cycle of food, beverage and dietary supplement products.
