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:
Discover the crucial role of botanical reference materials (BRMs) in supplement quality and regulatory compliance. Learn how BRMs help ensure product integrity and support industry standards.
Creatine is one of the most extensively studied and widely used ingredients in sports nutrition, prized for its well-documented ability to enhance strength, increase lean muscle mass, and improve performance during high-intensity, short-duration exercise. Learn about its benefits, biological role, and the importance of rigorous testing for quality and compliance.
With rising demand for A2-type dairy, precise A1/A2 testing is essential. Eurofins' advanced LCMS technology ensures product integrity and consumer confidence in a transparent food supply chain. Learn about the structure of A1/A2 and the importance of testing.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) monitors drug manufacturers' compliance with its current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulations in order to ensure the quality of drug products. These regulations are designed to assure products are safe for use and contain the ingredients, strengths, and efficacies of claims made by the product. Learn what tests your OTC products need to be compliant.
Discover how to reduce sodium without sacrificing taste or functionality in food and beverage products. This white paper explores formulation strategies, technical insights, and best practices for achieving sodium reduction while maintaining consumer appeal.
The Pet Food Label Modernization (PFLM) initiative is reshaping industry standards, making dietary fiber a required metric. Learn how this change impacts pet food formulations, testing methods, and nutritional transparency.
The Eurofins team of process authorities routinely provides expert guidance to food manufacturers to prepare microbiologically safe products. In this service, we encounter many questions that span across a variety of food products and manufacturing processes. Here we list and will continue to compile the most common questions and answers asked of a process authority and the responses. Use this information as a guide in your scheduled process or as you work through the formulation and development of your new food product. You may also use this as a tool to submit your own questions for a process authority!
In the dietary supplement and ingredient industry, guaranteeing the safety and quality of products is essential. One important part of quality control is the testing for residual solvents—volatile chemicals used during manufacturing that can pose health risks if not adequately removed. Click to read our blog on considerations in testing for residual solvents.
The botanical industry’s unprecedented surge in popularity brings exciting possibilities, but it also invites a serious challenge: adulteration. This blog explains how to identify adulterated botanicals and the role of third-party testing in protecting consumer health and trust.
Compendial methods used for detecting sulfur dioxide and sulfites are prone to challenges, including false positives in sulfur-rich matrices. Eurofins Food Chemistry Testing Madison, Inc. offers a solution. Click to read about the innovative LC-MS method for determining sulfur dioxide and sulfites in food products.
