Authentix gets patent for ingestible marker technology

Authentix has been awarded a US patent (No. 7,972,859) for an ingestible saccharide marker technology which can be applied to food, beverage and pharmaceutical products.

The patent describes a scenario in which a graded saccharide marker is introduced into an ingestible product during production and can be tested for using a saccharide-specific binding protein. An unexpected change in the 'marked presence' of the saccharide - in other words any testable property of the marker - would indicate that the product is not authentic.

"Ingestion of counterfeit foods, beverages and pharmaceuticals can have tragic consequences," notes the patent. "For example, thousands of deaths occur every year due to presence of methanol in counterfeit liquor."