Osmania University researchers develop pollen-based nano-optical anti-counterfeiting system

Researchers at Osmania University have developed ‘PollenSignum’, a combinatorial pollen-based nano-optical authentication system designed to prevent counterfeiting and aid forensic verification of valuable articles.

Hyderabad: Osmania University researchers introduced ‘PollenSignum’, a combinatorial pollen-based nano-optical authentication system designed for covert, anti-counterfeiting and forensic authentication of valuable articles.

The technology uniquely combines the natural microscopic identity of taxonomically authenticated pollen with the optical signature of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanomaterials, a press release said.

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The pollen provides a biological signature based on its distinctive morphology and exine architecture, while the ZnO component provides a measurable optical/fluorescent signature. These two independent characteristics can be registered and verified together, creating a multi-layered authentication system, it said.

A key feature of PollenSignum is its combinatorial and spatial coding capability. The patent describes an initial reference library of 12 distinguishable pollen taxa, providing a theoretical 4,096 non-empty pollen combinations, with further expansion possible through nano-optical signatures and spatial positioning, it said.

The authentication marker can be incorporated into security documents, currency substrates, security threads, pharmaceutical packaging, jewellery, gemstones, luxury products, certificates, collectibles and other high-value articles. It can also be enclosed in a sealed, optically interrogable micro-container, enabling both rapid optical screening and subsequent microscopic/forensic verification.

The concept was developed by Dr. A. Vijaya Bhasker Reddy and D. Nirmala, along with B. Vijay Kumar, at Osmania University. The name PollenSignum combines “Pollen” with the Latin “Signum,” meaning sign, mark, symbol or identifier.

The Indian patent application titled “PollenSignum: A Combinatorial Pollen-Based Nano-Optical Authentication System with Spatially Encoded Biological Signatures,” was filed on September 19 and published by the Intellectual Property Office, India, on October 2.