What is Edible security tag?

The edible security tag, a thin, transparent film made of silk proteins and fluorescent proteins genetically fused together utilizes an authentication technique called “physical unclonable functions,” or PUF that acts as a digital fingerprint for each drug capsule or tablet.

To protect prescription drugs from counterfeiting, researchers at Purdue University have developed an edible “security tag” embedded into medicine. The work is published in the journal Nature Communications.

The edible security tag, a thin, transparent film made of silk proteins and fluorescent proteins genetically fused together utilizes an authentication technique called “physical unclonable functions,” or PUF that acts as a digital fingerprint for each drug capsule or tablet.

Each time an LED light shines on the tag, it generates a different random pattern, which is further used to extract digital bits to produce a security key. Pharmacies and consumers could use this key to verify that a drug is authentic, making it extremely difficult for counterfeiter and even the manufacturer to re-create an identical PUF tag.

According to the Purdue team, a counterfeiter would have to uncrack a complicated puzzle of patterns not fully visible to the naked eye to imitate the drug. In addition, the edible tag is capable to hold much more information such as the dose and expiration date. The tags can last up to two-months without degrading the proteins. The next step for the team now would be to confirm that the tag lasts as long as the medicine does without compromising the key ingredients and potency of the drug.

Journal Reference:

Jung Woo Leem, Min Seok Kim, Seung Ho Choi, Seong-Ryul Kim, Seong-Wan Kim, Young Min Song, Robert J. Young, Young L. Kim. Edible unclonable functions. Nature Communications, 2020; 11 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-14066-5