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:
New validated methods are here at Eurofins! Check out this white paper written by Joelle Mosso on our new method for faster and more cost efficient pathogen analysis on beef trim using MicroTally® cloths!
Whole-Genome Sequencing aids in tracking foodborne illnesses and drug resistance in food pathogens. Read on to learn how WGS ensures food safety and quality.
Testing food and ingredients is a proactive step you can take to analyze and verify the quality and safety of your products. There are many considerations you should know about using test kits and instruments in your manufacturing plant. This article provides advice and considerations when buying in-house test kits and instruments.
Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), in particular, is a group of E. coli strains most associated with foodborne outbreaks. As food producers, you have the responsibility to ensure your consumers don't become a statistic. Read on to learn more about STEC and other food pathogens and how to eliminate them from your products.
Are you stuck on the proverbial micro testing loop? Do you submit a sample to the lab, get a non-compliant result, fill out some paperwork, visit a field and then just start right back over at step one? If so watch this webinar on how to fix those issues.
How often does infant formula require testing? Keren Breiterman of Eurofins Food Chemistry Testing in Madison, WI discusses this topic in this short video. Eurofins publishes our Ask an Expert Series weekly on our social media platforms.
Why was the genus Lactobacillus reclassified? Andrzej Benkowski, Technical Leader from Eurofins Microbiology in Madison, WI discusses this topic in this short video. Eurofins publishes our Ask an Expert Series weekly on our social media platforms.
Is "not detected" the same as "absent"? David Legan, Ph.D. from Eurofins Microbiology in Madison, WI discusses this topic in this short video.
Why do pathogen tests take days when the detection methods (like PCR) can be completed in just a few hours? Dan DeMarco, Ph.D. from our Eurofins Microbiology lab in Louisville, KY discusses this topic in this short video. Eurofins publishes our Ask an Expert Series weekly on our social media platforms.
What are osmophilic yeasts and why do they matter? Christine Garduno from our Eurofins Microbiology lab in Fresno, CA discusses this topic in this short video. Eurofins publishes our Ask an Expert Series weekly on our social media platforms.
