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:
Eurofins QTA is thrilled to announce the promotion of Anthony Lai and Ria Sieg to pivotal leadership positions within the company. Click to read about these promotions.
IR spectroscopy, including NIR and mid-IR, is a useful technology for food and beverage analysis. The experts at Eurofins QTA recently answered five common questions about IR spectroscopy to help you determine if it is right for you and your products. This infographic provides an overview of how IR spectroscopy is helpful for product analysis.
Learn how infrared spectroscopy can unleash the power of quality data for your operations. Original airdate April 26, 2023.
What is spectroscopy? What is the difference between NIR vs. Mid IR? What are the benefits of NIR vs traditional wet chemistry? The team at Eurofins QTA answers these questions and more in this edition of our Ask An Expert blog about infrared spectroscopy.
Eurofins QTA offers a unique service by testing using infrared lights. Learn about what infrared is, how it works, how QTA differentiates from other providers, How to convert to infrared testing, and how to get started with QTA.
As NIR instrumentation ages or manufacturers discontinue the support for older platforms, it is necessary to look for a replacement. With so many brands and models in the market and manufacturers’ claims of impressive capabilities, how does one narrow down the selection and find the correct choice?
Rapid Analysis of In-Process Fish Oil by Quality Trait Analysis (QTA) Infrared Spectroscopy
Eurofins is pushing the boundaries of NIR technology by pushing infrared into new material matrices and quantitative analysis. A Eurofins QTA customer is demonstrating these new applications on limestone mines by determining how much calcium carbonate and magnesium are coming out of the mines.
QTA technical experts will work with client to develop infrared testing methods for their high volume and high frequent products. The tests are easy to use by any operators, non-technical personal with minimal training.
It’s no secret that hemp is a fast-growing market with applications in a wide range of products from supplements to clothing. Watch this comprehensive webinar in which Eurofins experts discuss hemp testing considerations for hemp farmers and processors including genetic, microbiological, and analytical testing.
