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:
In the competitive and highly regulated pet food industry, ingredient authenticity is more than a quality metric; it's a cornerstone of consumer trust and brand integrity. As demand for functional ingredients grows, so does the risk of adulteration. Manufacturers must be equipped with advanced testing strategies to safeguard their supply chains and ensure label claims are accurate.
The team at Eurofins Nutrition Analysis Center is proud to announce the launch of its new "Healthy" Claim Compliance Service designed to help food manufacturers navigate the FDA's updated criteria for the use of the term "Healthy" on food labels.
The Eurofins Nutrition Analysis Center in Des Moines, Iowa, is pleased to announce the launch of a specialized analytical method for Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) in pet chew supplements. This new capability supports the growing demand for validated testing in the pet supplement market, particularly in preventative joint health.
In this blog, Dan Brouman traces MAHA’s path since December 2024, when the MAHA Caucus launched in Congress. Brouman also discusses MAHA’s future and its effects on food policy.
In the world of dietary supplements and food testing, unexpected results like failed specifications, out-of-spec (OOS) results, or surprising contaminant detections can be unsettling, but they’re not uncommon. Here’s how to navigate the process when results don’t align with expectations.
When it comes to refrigerated and frozen foods, shelf-life testing isn’t just about timelines, it’s about protecting your brand, your label claims, and your consumer’s experience. In this Ask the Expert feature, Sam Wiesenfeld shares insights into the most common questions clients face when designing shelf-life testing protocols for refrigerated and frozen foods.
When it comes to dietary supplement testing, one seemingly small detail can have outsized consequences: specifying the correct vitamin form. Understanding and communicating the exact vitamin form in your product is not just a technical necessity, it’s a strategic imperative in ensuring accurate results, timely reporting, and regulatory compliance.
A supplement manufacturer added methylcobalamin (Vitamin B12) to a product, expecting to meet label claims. However, testing revealed only ~50% of the claimed amount, triggering an out-of-spec (OOS) result. Read to learn how Eurofins Supplement Testing resolved the unexpected results.
Switching oil sources, or developing a new product with an alternative oil, requires more than a label change. It demands a holistic view of how the oil behaves in your product, how it interacts with other ingredients, and how it holds up over time. Click to learn about the key considerations.
Protein analysis is typically based on a Nitrogen analysis and assumed factors to calculate protein. Since proteins are not the only source of Nitrogen, Protein analysis can be falsely inflated by a variety of ingredients and other food components. Check out this infographic to learn more about non-protein nitrogen.
