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:
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.
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
Historically, the fresh produce industry has viewed food quality and food safety as different disciplines and utilizing separate science. That is changing. The lines between food safety and quality are becoming blurred.
For processors, retailers, growers and suppliers, the need to understand the intersection of food quality and safety has never been more critical. The strategic partnership between the Qfresh Lab and Eurofins was created specifically to address this need within the industry.
This webinar explores how to navigate through the combination of foods safety and quality.
This webinar discusses current analytical trends, focusing on low level cannabinoids testing and meeting stringent limits for pesticide residue testing. We briefly review navigating API and OTC testing to meet GMP requirements. Finally, we share updates related to hemp and feed, as well as the certification process of the USHA.
In this informative webinar, Eurofins SF Analytical scientists explain the considerations your company should factor in to mitigate risk and comply with applicable regulations including new analytical techniques to meet the ever-changing compendia (USP, EP, ACS, FCC/NF, JECFA, etc.)
Ethylene oxide is a highly reactive gas used in some countries to inhibit microbial contamination in certain food products.
Opportunity is rapidly growing for new feed ingredients intended to improve the well-being of both companion animals and livestock. Our webinar aims to address the unique analytical, nutritional, and regulatory challenges that accompany novel animal food ingredients.
This webinar with presenter Joelle Mosso, Associate Chief Scientific Officer for the Eurofins Produce Segment, discusses testing and introduces a new rapid screening tool for enteric pathogens Salmonella and Shiga toxigenic E. coli: EPRITM.
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.
This presentation discusses further on adulteration risks in botanicals, reviews various quality control analytical strategies and research advances in analytical sciences for dietary supplements and ingredients.
