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INSIDER INSIGHT
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can provide spectral and chemometric data. Nevertheless, a counterfeiter with a good spectrometer and software will not be able to make the connection from a spectrometer reading—“(1429, 0.2) (1640, 0.3) (1803, 0.17)”—to the covert taggant code that produced it.
NIR spectra are comprised
of broad and overlapping overtone and combination bands arising from the primary mid-infrared bands. This fact, coupled with the additional process steps taken to add or coat the product with said taggant, confounds the NIR spectra even further. The tagged product spectrum that now contains information about both the chemical taggant as well as the physical changes that gave rise to it results in a unique pattern that is specifi c only to that package.
Furthermore, the
technique can be massively scaled. That is, additional taggants may be added, increasing the number of wavelengths. By doing so, yet another variation can be introduced. Another dimension is added when the concentrations of each of the taggants are varied, such that the absorption function of the bands introduces variation in the spectrum.
Scales Well, Green. The anti-counterfeiting approach described here uses non-toxic commodity chemicals as taggants, and commercial off -the-shelf spectrometers as fi eld detectors. Because this solution avoids proprietary techniques, molecules, and instruments, it can be scaled quickly.
Combinatoric Smarts. The combination of commodity (inexpensive) chemicals to create a taggant code provides a solution that is inherently cost-eff ective.
Yet combinatoric
possibilities of these compounds off er packagers and manufacturers the choice of innumerable secure codes.
Commodity Chemicals. By employing in- expensive commodity chemicals as taggants, the cost of this brand protection technology scales well, making it available to generics and over-the-counter drugs.
Testing at Multiple Points. Most manu- facturers do not worry about counterfeits during the production process.
However,
the growth of contract manufacturing and other outsourcing suggests that it is prudent to verify materials at various points in the supply chain.
52 | | January/February 2015 Figure 1. Spectral diff erences between tagged and un-tagged paperboard. There are several handoff s in the
process of getting the product from the manufacturer, through packagers and distributors and fi nally to the patient, and each of them provides an opportunity for counterfeiting and diversion. If quality is not confi rmed near the consumer, quality may not be delivered.
The feasibility of
fi eld testing is demonstrated by the work described here. The testing should be a full profi le, not a single-ingredient test that could be adulterated.
Hardware. Relevant hardware developments include the emergence of highly capable pocket-size spectrometers from companies such as Texas Instruments and JDS Uniphase, as described by Coates.2
Experiment 1 Counterfeiters are
increasingly savvy and single-ingredient taggants and tests can be spoofed, as the pharmaceutical scandals
with diethylene
glycol, melamine, and heparin remind us. The most secure method in the long run is testing at or near the point of dispensing via spectroscopic analysis. Field spectroscopy off ers robust protection for its ease of operation, speed, and low cost, and delivers a rapid, non-invasive, non-destructive, and portable chemical analysis.
• • •
Coating for Paperboard •
Taggant had to meet color specifi cation
Taggant had to meet texture specifi cation
Taggant had to meet GRAS specifi cation
Covert taggant mix applied on paperboard at 4 concentrations: 5%, 15%, 20%, and 30%
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