Archive · 4 Oct 2026
Osmania Researchers Develop Pollen-Based Anti-Counterfeiting Technology
Researchers at Osmania University have created a way to help check whether valuable items are genuine.
It is called PollenSignum and uses tiny pollen grains together with zinc oxide nanomaterials.
Different pollen types have distinctive shapes and surfaces.
The zinc oxide adds an optical signal that can be measured.
The patent describes 12 pollen types that can be combined in many different ways.
The marker could be used on items such as certificates, medicines, jewellery and currency.
It may be checked quickly with light and examined more closely under a microscope.
The researchers filed an Indian patent application in September 2026, which was published in October 2026.
Osmania University researchers developed PollenSignum, a pollen-based nano-optical authentication technology.
It combines distinctive pollen features with the optical or fluorescent signature of zinc oxide nanomaterials.
A reference library of 12 pollen taxa offers 4,096 possible non-empty combinations, with further coding options described.
The marker could be used on security documents, currency, medicines, jewellery, luxury goods and other valuable items.
The Indian patent application was filed on September 19, 2026, and published on October 2, 2026.
- Who
- Osmania University researchers Dr A. Vijaya Bhasker Reddy, D. Nirmala and B. Vijay Kumar.
- What
- They developed PollenSignum, a pollen-based nano-optical authentication technology.
- When
- The patent was filed on September 19, 2026, and published on October 2, 2026.
- Where
- Osmania University; the patent was published by the Intellectual Property Office, India.
- Why
- The technology is intended to support anti-counterfeiting and forensic authentication of valuable articles.
Potential uses
Evidence and limits described
Authentication applications
Potential uses
The researchers describe potential use on security documents, currency, pharmaceutical packaging, jewellery, gemstones, luxury products, certificates and collectibles.
Evidence and limits described
The article presents these as possible applications; it does not report commercial deployment or performance results.
Coding capacity
Potential uses
The patent describes 12 pollen taxa yielding 4,096 non-empty combinations, with additional coding through optical signatures and spatial positioning.
Evidence and limits described
The article describes this as a theoretical capacity and does not provide evidence of how many combinations have been implemented or tested.
- Technology
- PollenSignum, a combinatorial pollen-based nano-optical authentication system
- Biological component
- Taxonomically authenticated pollen, identified by morphology and exine architecture
- Nanomaterial
- Zinc oxide (ZnO), which provides an optical or fluorescent signature
- Initial reference library
- 12 distinguishable pollen taxa
- Theoretical combinations
- 4,096 non-empty pollen combinations
- Patent filed
- September 19, 2026
- Patent published
- October 2, 2026, by the Intellectual Property Office, India