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:
Beginning Nov 9, 2023, Eurofins Food Chemistry Testing Madison will include Allulose testing as an optional component of its primary sugar profile analysis, at no additional charge to its valued customers.
Microbiological specifications are tools used to help manage risk in a food business. A specification defines the limits of acceptable and unacceptable conditions at important decision points in the manufacturing and distribution continuum, from ingredient specifications to final product specifications. In this white paper we will explore the types, uses, and creation of microbiological specifications.
The current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMPs) regulations for dietary supplements in the US were implemented in 2007, but there is still a great deal of enforcement activity by FDA. This white paper will provide an overview of the regulations, but more importantly will highlight some of the most commonly cited issues in FDA Form 483 observations.
To support compliance with state regulations, Eurofins SF Analytical now offers a validated GC-MSMS method for the analysis of 1,4-dioxane with a reporting limit of 1 ppm. The method has been validated for use in solids, surfactant-containing solids, liquids, surfactant-containing liquids, solvent-based liquids, and oil-based liquids.
Developing a new animal veterinary product is a complex, time-consuming process. What should you expect from the development process? What does the typical timeline look like? Get the answers to these questions and more in Part 2 of our Ask an Expert series on developing new veterinary products.
Developing a new animal veterinary product is a complex, time-consuming process. What should be your key considerations? What about guidelines and regulatory bodies? Get the answers to these questions and more in Part 1 of our Ask an Expert series on developing new veterinary products.
Are you incorporating novel or upcycled protein materials in your products? This handout describes a key issue surrounding traditional determination, calculation, and labeling of two compulsory nutrients (protein & carbohydrates) in the US Nutrition Facts Panel.
Eurofins Microbiology Laboratories, Inc (Lafayette, CO) is excited to announce it has been certified by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to conduct microbial hemp compliance testing for industrial hemp and hemp derived products.
Watch this on-demand webinar to learn about the significant organic food industry growth. The webinar provides an overview of the impact of SOE on certified entities, and a discussion on how to build risk management systems to meet regulatory and consumer expectations for your products' organic integrity. Original airdate April 19, 2023.
The research and development team of Eurofins Microbiology Laboratories, Inc. set out to better
understand STEC growth on lettuce by designing an experiment to observe the limits of detection by
real-time PCR using bacteria that were cold-stressed against those grown under non-stressed conditions. This white paper explains further.
