10-01 :: January 2010
nanotimes
43
EU-Projects
Counterfeiting and Patent Abuse //
Chemical Counterfeit Countermeasures
I
n order to prevent piracy and counterfeiting, Basically, the product can be tagged by introducing a
isotopic techniques can be used to determine small known amount of ferulic acid at the feedstock
whether a molecule has been produced according to stage. As a precursor to vanillin it will then be meta-
the patented process. In addition, chromatographic bolised to produce the synthetic flavouring normally
protocols can be applied to detect impurities and used to replace natural vanilla.
their sources.
This applied biotransformation process has been
However, there are broadly two ways the counter- tested in a paracetamol production trial and was
feiter can circumvent these controls. Firstly, if the confirmed as a unique traceable tag. Not only does
pathways and organisms are very similar, they may it serve as a recoverable metabolisable chemical tag
be isotopically indistinguishable from the patented but it is a cheap alternative to the use of expensive
route. Also, when impurities hail from the feedstock isotope-based tracers.
or culture medium, an inconsistent impurity profile
may result.
Contact: Nicholas Walton, Institute of Food Research,
Researchers in the appropriately named European Norwich Research Park, Colney, Norwich, U.K., Phone:
project COUNTERPHARM have developed a proto- +44-16-3255313:
col whereby these ‚loopholes‘ can be closed. http://www.ifr.ac.uk
Top 50 Innovations of 2009 //
Europeans Make Best Inventions List for 2009
T
IME magazine recently published its list for the According to the researchers, rubber trees worldwide
Top 50 Innovations of 2009. Making the list at are taking a bit hit from a fungus that spreads quickly.
number 29 is Dandelion Rubber, the creation of Dandelions are weeds whose sap contains latex.
scientists at the Germany-based Fraunhofer Institute While harvesting dandelions to make up for the rub-
for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME). ber tree loss is a catchy idea, the reality is that it‘s not