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:
A2 beta-casein milk is growing in popularity as consumers learn about the potential health effects of the A1 beta-casein variant. Understanding the testing options is the first step for brands and retailers to provide trustworthy A2 dairy product. This video explains the science of A2 beta-casein milk and the unique testing options at Eurofins.
A client requested testing for the cGMP-compliant analysis of cattle feed medicated with monensin. Watch our case study video below to learn how Eurofins Animal Health Testing evaluated and validated AOAC Official Method 2006.01 Monensin, Narasin, and Salinomycin in Mineral Premixes, Supplements, and Animal Feeds.
Some minerals are found to interfere with vitamin K2 shelf-life stability in nutraceuticals. Watch our video case study to learn how Eurofins Craft Technologies assists clients experiencing formulation challenges.
TMR is a high-moisture, non-homogenous sample matrix. This mixture of feed ingredients is challenging to mill and blend for good lab testing. Watch our case study video to learn more.
Is stability testing required for infant formula? Tammy Olson, Stability Manager at 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.
How can FT-IR be used for identifying foreign material in my product? David Riggs, President of Eurofins SF Analytical discusses this topic in this short video. Eurofins publishes our Ask an Expert Series weekly on our social media platforms.
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.
How do you determine the identity of a unknown material I found in my product? Patricia Quinn from Eurofins SF Analytical in New Berlin, 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.
