Two separate security systems let manufacturers tag products on packaging lines and provide hand-held readers for downstream inspectors that let them tell whether or not the package is authentic. One system puts a sample of synthetic DNA on a label as a telltale marker and the other uses a color-shifting film that shows a specific color shift when viewed from a slightly different angle.

“The Bio-Molecular marker, based on a synthetic DNA helix, is first separated into two strands,” says DuPont product manager Mark Miller. “One is incorporated into ink which is printed onto packages. The mating strand is incorporated into a detection pen. The two strands are joined together to form a stable helix which then can be read by the hand-held reading wand that tells whether or not the two halves match.”

One of the half strands of DNA is accompanied by a fluorophore. “When unmatched, the fluorophore is not visible. But when matched with a mating strand, it opens and the fluorophore becomes detectable by the reader,” says Miller. The technology, developed by identif GmbH and marketed by DuPont, Wilmington, Del., (dupont.com) is a timely introduction in light of several counterfeit drugs and medical devices recently discovered. “What's more, the bio marker is a forensic test that can stand up in a court of law,” adds Miller.

The second security device, Color-Spectra Film, can be authenticated by eye. “An inspector should easily see a color shift from blue to green, for example,” says Miller. In addition, a hand held reader also authenticates that the color spectra film is correct for the product supposedly in the package. “The Color-Spectra Film reader measures different wavelengths reflected from the film. And it's unique in that it cannot be mimicked,” he says. To avoid any possible confusion, particular DNA code and Color-Spectra Film is always customer specific and will not be shared with other clients.