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:
A strong relationship with a high-quality lab that you can trust is a major asset for meeting your company’s goals. Read our checklist for eight qualities of a good third-party testing laboratory.
Analytical method development and validation is a complex topic; in this webinar, Josh Rhein and Leo Schilling attempt to break it down for you and discuss some best practices.
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
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.
Is your probiotic supplement formulated with both probiotic bacteria and active compounds? If so, getting accurate enumeration of probiotic strains can be a challenge. Learn how our experts in probiotic testing are skilled in finding solutions to tough probiotic formulations in this case study.
The COVID-19 pandemic created a favorable environment for increased economically motivated adulteration of ingredients and finished products. Adulterated ingredients entering your product can result in serious risk for your company. How can you reduce your company's risk?
Turmeric has faced authenticity issues as instances of economic-adulterations to reduce the cost. We used carbon-14 and HPLC analyses as complementary methods to verify “all-natural” label claims of commercial dietary supplements containing turmeric ingredients.
This presentation reviews sample quality criteria, and the parameters that should be considered in order to produce meaningful and defensible measurement data. A review of the purpose of standardized methods is also presented, and considerations for when it is necessary to apply a modified procedure or an alternate method.
