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:
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.
While many vitamins are traditionally sourced from animal products, plant-based vitamin sources are a growing trend. Learn more about this new trend and what this means in regard to testing your products.
Candies can now give you more than a sugar rush. Functional chocolates also have vitamins, minerals, and botanicals and with that means the need for suitable validated methods to verify claims. Eurofins is your partner is all challenging vitamin, mineral, and botanical testing in finished products and raw materials.
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.
In this blog article Jeff Stassi discusses the importance of designing a meaningful, comprehensive testing program for dietary supplements.
We are proud to share the publication of a new scientific article from our team overseas. This article details the optimization of the NMR method, and the validation of the enhancements made. This unique analysis can differentiate agave inulin/syrup/alcohol from cane or corn adulterants.
A guide to frequently asked questions around testing dietary supplements and ingredients with US Pharmacopeia (USP) microbiology methods. Learn more about testing samples with USP.
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 Craft Technologies Offers Vitamin K-1 & K-2 Testing to Support Trending Immunity Foods & Supplements.
