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 presentation, Dr. DeMarco illustrates how positive pathogen results can be used to make real improvements in processes, facilitating a safer production environment with lower overall contamination risks and safer food for the consumer. Original airdate July 12, 2023.
This webinar discusses what is flow cytometry, advantages and disadvantages of flow cytometry, and marketplace examples and investigative case studies. Original airdate June 27, 2023.
Eurofins Microbiology Laboratories, Inc (Lafayette, CO) is excited to announce it has been certified by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to conduct microbial hemp compliance testing for industrial hemp and hemp derived products.
In this webinar we review the call to action from the FDA, provide an overview of the technology of whole genome sequencing. Discuss the benefits of whole genome sequencing, and review the ways that Eurofins is ready to support your testing needs. Original Air Date May 18, 2023
Eurofins explores the considerations for Salmonella identification, techniques, and guidance.
Probiotic enumeration is one of the most important tests for a probiotic product. This infographic lists the top seven things to know enumeration testing before getting started with our team!
Is your risk assessment complete?
E.coli, Listeria, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Vibrio, etc. The long list of bacterial pathogens have become common to those managing & developing food safety plans. However, when sitting down for your review of hazards in your HACCP & HARPC plans, it can be easy to forget that bacteria aren’t the only microbes associated with food. In fact, a large share of foodborne illness are caused by viral threats.
The research and development team of Eurofins Microbiology Laboratories, Inc. set out to better
understand STEC growth on lettuce by designing an experiment to observe the limits of detection by
real-time PCR using bacteria that were cold-stressed against those grown under non-stressed conditions. This white paper explains further.
This informative blog post covers the basics of probiotic testing for new brands. Learn about federal regulations, formulation, and testing options, including plate counts and flow cytometry, surrounding the efficacy and safety of probiotic supplements. This article contains valuable information for anyone involved in probiotic manufacturing, formulation, or branding!
Ensure food safety of fresh produce to avoid a Cyclospora outbreak. Learn more about Cyclospora in commercial produce and how to detect and mitigate risk of contamination.
