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.
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.)
Learn more about the similarities and differences between the terms: fraud, defense, authenticity, and adulteration when it comes to foods, ingredients, and supplements.
New options for sweetening low-sugar foods have entered the market. Testing of sweetener ingredients and the finished product is key.
Dietary supplement using immune-based ingredients have significantly increased over the last few years. Learn more on which trendy ingredients are being used and how to comply with the FDA guidelines on dietary supplements and functional food products.
Eurofins is proud to announce that our method for determining potency in hemp has been approved and validated by the AOAC.
Eurofins has completed the development and validation of a ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method for low-level quantification in CBD isolate matrices.
Clinical studies suggested that glucosamine has the potential to be used to relieve joint pain causing by Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis. We offer several methods for the characterization and quantification of glucosamine in dietary supplements and ingredients. The selection of the testing technique is dependent on the sample matrix, formulation, and the method used when establishing product specifications. Read through this article to learn more about the use of glucosamine in supplements and the options for testing methods.
Eurofins presents at AOAC Annual Meeting and Exposition in 2020 summarizing the modifications made to the AOAC Official Method 2018.11 for quantification of cannabinoids to include conversion of Δ9-THCA into Δ9-THC.
Eurofins develops and validates a versatile HPLC-UV/DAD method for analyzing twelve major cannabinoids in dried plant materials, concentrates and oils. Method was granted AOAC First Action OMA status (AOAC Official Method 2018.11).
