WO2003009667A2

WO2003009667A2 - Animal consumable labeling and method thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2003009667A2
Application number: PCT/IB2002/004983
Authority: WO
Inventors: Charles L. Burland
Original assignee: Orion Technology Corporation; Dnatech Pty Ltd.
Priority date: 2001-07-17
Filing date: 2002-07-17
Publication date: 2003-02-06
Also published as: WO2003009667A3

Abstract

The present invention in one aspect is directed to a method for labeling an animal consumable (i.e, a comestible or medication) for its identification wherein a consumable (i.e., food-grade or pharmaceutical grade) biologic marker labeled with a consumable agent that emits selected detectable wavelengths of energy when exposed to infrared radiation (IR) is encapsulated with a consumable encapsulant. The labeled marker is associated with the animal consumable. Thereafter, the animal consumable to be identified is exposed to IR and emitted select wavelengths of energy from the agent are detected. The consumable biologic marker also can be detected. Another aspect of the invention is the marker for use in labeling and identifying an animal consumable. The marker is a capsule formed from an encapsulant, which encapsulates a biologic marker, which marker is labeled with an agent that emits selected detectable wavelengths of energy when exposed to infrared radiation (IR).

Description

ANIMAL CONSUMABLE LABELING AND METHOD THEREOF

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the labeling of comestibles (both liquid, semi-solid, and solid foodstuffs) for verifying authenticity and more particularly to the use of selectively perceptible marks for labeling of comestibles. Authenticity implies both that the comestibles are genuine and that they are in the proper channels of commerce. If the comestibles are not genuine, then product counterfeiting has occurred and the present invention presents the ability to determine whether or not comestibles are genuine. If the comestibles have been diverted from their intended channel of commerce by, for example, entering into a country where the comestibles are prohibited, for example, by contract or by law, then the comestibles have been subject to product diversion. Again, the present invention presents the ability to determine whether genuine comestibles have been improperly diverted. Finally, the term, "diverted comestibles", also comprehends genuine comestibles, which have been stolen and the identity of the comestibles is at issue. Medications, for present purposes, also can be thought of as being in the same category as comestibles inasmuch as medications are intended for delivery into the body.

U.S. News recently reported a mystery. Over a several week period last winter, Massachusetts-based drug maker Serono Inc. received about a dozen calls from concerned patients using its AIDS drug Serostim. They complained of unusual reactions by the injection sites: itching, swelling, and rashes. The patients mailed their vials to the company for inspection, and soon after, Serono scientists discovered the cause of the ill effects. The drugs, which patients had bought at local pharmacies, were not Serostim at all, but fakes. U.S. News, "Knockoffs on the Pharmacy Shelf, June 11 , 2001.

Counterfeit drugs have plagued underdeveloped countries for years. More than 7% of the world's pharmaceuticals are bogus, according to the World Health Organization. In Colombia, up to 40 percent of medications are believed to be fake. But until recently, a tightly controlled regulatory system has made it extraordinarily difficult for counterfeiters to slip suspect medications into the United States. Now, however, that system is straining under an explosion of Internet drug sales from overseas and increasingly sophisticated counterfeiting techniques.

In May 2001 , vials of three counterfeit drugs made their way to pharmacy shelves in at least eight states. The drugs copied were Neupogen, an anti- infective manufactured by Amgen; Nutropin AQ, a human growth hormone made by Genentech; and a second batch of Serostim. In June 2001 , a New York drug wholesaler will be sentenced for distributing $4.1 million of other counterfeit medications, including the expensive fertility drugs, Pergonal and Metrodin, as well as Eldepryl, a drug used to treat Parkinson's disease. According to the WHO, 16% of counterfeit drugs have the wrong ingredients, 17% have incorrect amounts of ingredients, and 60% have no active ingredients at all. No one has yet quantified the counterfeit problem in the United States, but public-health officials consider it a growing threat. Customs and FDA officials tracked the counterfeit to a New Jersey wholesaler called Flavine International. Company officials were convicted of importing counterfeit drugs from a pharmaceutical company in China and repackaging them to appear as though they had come from a manufacturer approved by the FDA.

In 1999, according to Forrester Research, Americans bought $158 million in drugs over the Internet, a convenience that is clearly accompanied by risks. In investigations at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia and Oakland International Airport in California, customs and FDA officials found that about 10% of the drugs they analyzed, including medications to treat Parkinson's disease, asthma, and osteoporosis, contained no active ingredients. In other cases, counterfeits have included dangerous, even life-threatening, ingredients: The fake Nutropin AQ, for instance, contained human insulin.

Experts fear that counterfeit drugs will proliferate as drug prices continue to soar. The most recent counterfeit cases have focused on highly expensive drugs: Serostim costs $21 ,000 for a 12-week dose, and Neupogen, used by chemotherapy patients, costs between $150 and $250 per vial. "If someone was to produce a truckload of this stuff," says Amgen spokesman David Kaye, "it could be quite lucrative." Indeed, the industry estimates that it loses $2 billion each year to counterfeiting. U.S. News, id.

With so much at stake, drug makers routinely check wholesalers and others to ensure that the products they supply are genuine. But the technology used to counterfeit drugs has become so sophisticated that it is often hard to distinguish the genuine medication from the fakes.

In February, Los Angeles authorities arrested three people for running a counterfeit Viagra operation so sophisticated that a Pfizer analysis of the product ranked it a nine out of a possible 10. "They had the lot numbers, the package inserts, the packaging," says Monette Cuevas, the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services pharmacist who examined the drugs. "You could not tell the difference." U.S. News, id.

While, perhaps, not as economically impacting as drugs, foods also can suffer from being out-of-date, from containing ingredients not listed on the label, etc. So too, there is a need to be able to track and verify the genuineness of foodstuffs in general, as well as pharmaceuticals.

In U.S. Patent No. 5,599,578, there is disclosed a technique for labeling objects for their identification and/or authentication involving the use of a combination of a mark visible to the naked eye and a mark invisible to the naked eye. The invisible mark or component of the system is one or more of an ultraviolet radiation (UV) dye, an infrared (IR) dye, an ink that displays a selected measurable electrical resistivity, or a biologic marker which may be a protein, amino acid, DNA, polypeptide, hormone, or antibody. U.S. Patent No. 6,030,657 is directed to a method for labeling an object for its identification. This method includes providing a biologic marker labeled with an agent that emits selected detectable wavelengths of energy when exposed to infrared radiation (IR), and associating the labeled marker with the object, whereby, the object to be identified can be exposed to IR and emitted select wavelengths of energy from said agent detected. The agent can be an upconverting phosphor, a lanthenide ion (bound to a naphthalene group), or other chemical that emits selected detectable wavelengths of energy when exposed to infrared radiation (IR). The materials are encapsulated in an encapsulant that is resistant to the environment in which the materials are used such as, for example, an ink formulation. However, the encapsulant can be opened (e.g., by selective dissolving) and the materials inside (e.g., biologic, IR emitting, etc.) determined. A presently preferred encapsulant is casein which has been self cross-linked to provide resistance to hydrophobic ink formulations in which it desirably is placed.

What is lacking in the art, however, is the ability to label comestibles and medications so as to verify such goods. It is to such ability that the present invention is directed. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention in one aspect is directed to a method for labeling an animal consumable (i.e., a comestible or medication) for its identification wherein a consumable (i.e., food-grade or pharmaceutical grade) biologic marker labeled with a consumable agent that emits selected detectable wavelengths of energy when exposed to infrared radiation (IR) is encapsulated with a consumable encapsulant. The labeled marker is associated with the animal consumable. Thereafter, the animal consumable to be identified is exposed to IR and emitted select wavelengths of energy from the agent are detected. The consumable biologic marker also can be detected. Another aspect of the invention is the marker for use in labeling and identifying an animal consumable. The marker is a capsule formed from an encapsulant, which encapsulates a biologic marker, which marker is labeled with an agent that emits selected detectable wavelengths of energy when exposed to infrared radiation (IR). A further aspect of the present invention is the use of a magnetic marker in place of the IR marker. Iron oxide or the like magnetic particles, or microbeads, can be placed in the capsules along with the biologic markers for labeling animal consumable goods.

Advantages of the present invention include a simple, yet reliable means for labeling comestibles for identification. Another advantage is that the label is not perceptible to people absent the application of special techniques in order to determine the presence of such labels. Another advantage is that the label can last for an almost indefinite period of time. A yet further advantage is the ease and versatility for identification, which is afforded by the present invention. Another advantage is the ability to encrypt the biologies for embedding information, such as point of origin, manufacturing date, expiration date, and the like. These and other advantages will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art based upon the disclosure contained herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Once an animal consumable is identified and the identification verified, it is labeled in accordance with the inventive technique disclosed herein so that its authentication (e.g., point of origin, manufacturing date, expiration date, ingredients, etc.) at a later date is materially enhanced. Since the product being labeled is intended for consumption by animals, including people, the label similarly must be acceptable for animal consumption. Such is the meaning of "consumable" for present purposes. Such consumables can be food grade or pharmaceutical grade. Suitable such products include, inter alia, nutritional and non-nutritional foodstuffs (liquid, solid, etc.); and pharmaceuticals (liquid, solid, etc.) including ingestible, injectable (e.g., by syringe), infusible, suppository, and oral cavity (e.g., cough drops, nitroglycerin tablets) formulations, and the like. Thus, the term "consumable" means a comestible or a medication, and such term is to be interpreted broadly for present purposes, so long as they are permitted within the body (in vivo) of the animal being for which the comestible or medication is intended. As such, humans are one class of animals. Other classes include, inter alia, livestock, birds including poultry, companion animals (e.g., dogs, cats), wild (i.e., non-domesticated) animals, fish, and the like.

Biologic markers, such as amino acids and proteins, are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,194,289, cited above. Such biologic materials can be profiled by gas chromatography which creates a standard for later comparison with a small (e.g., nanogram) sample of ink from a stolen object, a counterfeit object, or a diverted genuine object, which objects have been labeled in accordance with the precepts of the present invention. Additionally, U.S. Patent No. 5,139,812 discloses the use of nucleic acid sequences in ink for identifying an object with a probe. U.S. Patent No. 4,880,750 discloses the use of individual-specific antibodies (e.g., in an ink) for identification of security documents. U.S. Patent No. 4,441 ,943 uses synthetic polypeptides for labeling explosives. British Patent No. 2,209,831 proposes to label objects with a nucleic acid, antibody, or antigen. U.S. Patent No. 5,451,505 uses nucleic acids as taggants. U.S. Patent No. 5,429,952 proposes to associate hapten with a product and then later detecting the presence of hapten with a complementary binding member and, thus, identify the product. MHC (major histocompatibility complex) is yet another biologic marker suitable for use in the present invention. Such biologic markers need only be permitted in foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, and the like, in order to be useful in the present invention. Thus, the term "biologic marker" should be construed broadly to include biologic materials (natural and synthetic, whole or fragments, naturally occurring, synthetic, and/or modified), which are ingestible for use in accordance with the precepts of the present invention. The disclosures of these citations are expressly incorporated herein by reference.

Such techniques also are not readily perceptible without the aid of special equipment and/or chemicals, which develop the presence of such markers. For present purposes, such markers are unique and not easily (if at all) replicated by the forger or counterfeiter. It should be understood also that such biologic markers can be native or can be synthetic, including fragments, single chains, and a variety of additional forms currently developed or yet to be developed. It may even be feasible to radiolabel some biologic or other markers and determine their presence thereby.

Moreover, DNA, (similarly RNA, polypeptides, complex polysaccharides, antibodies, antigens, and like biologies) can be used to encrypt and transport information in situ. The encoded messenger DNA (or mDNA) would be virtually impossible to detect and decode without prior knowledge of its presence and composition. A quantity in the femtogram range or just a few DNA molecules or bacteriophage particles would be sufficient to encode a complex message. The biologic marker molecules may consist of a single biomolecule, which may have multiple traits (for example, defined DNA sequence, size and weight) identifiable with the source of the product and/or destination of the product. Alternatively, the biomolecule marker can consist of a set of biomolecules (e.g., plasmids or fragments of nucleic acid or proteins), each differing in a single trait (e.g., size). Table 1 , below, depicts the number of possible combinations, which can be derived from a given number of DNA segments, which differ in only one trait:

TABLE 1

For example, with only 16 differently sized plasmids, 65,535 items of product can be uniquely labeled. It should be appreciated that the segments need not be DNA segments, but also can be RNA segments, segments of proteins, or other biomolecules. Of importance in the present invention is that each biomolecule or segment differs from one another on the basis of a single trait. These traits include, inter alia, size, molecular weight, density, boiling point, melting point, freezing point, free energy, hydrophobicity, pow (log pow), degree of cooperative or anti-cooperative binding to a ligand, activity, surface tension, shape, sedimentation coefficient, diffusion coefficient, viscosity, absorption of radiation, emission of radiation, UV spectra, fluorescence, optical rotatory dispersion/circular dichroism, nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared spectra (Fourier transform or any other IR spectra), raman scattering, X-ray emission, X- ray scattering, X-ray diffraction, Bragg reflection of X-rays, electron or neutron diffraction, various parameters of protein folding, and the like. Thus, the power of the present invention lies not only in the secrecy of the location of the mark on the product and the use of multiple markers, but also on which trait of the markers is being used for the identification of source, destination, etc.

Additionally, the biomolecules also could differ from each other by more than one trait. Thus, for example, 2 plasmids may differ from each other by two traits (e.g., size and guanosine-cytosine (GC) content). This two-trait/two- plasmid combination leads to 15 possible combinations while as mere 8 biomolecules differing from each other in 8 traits leads to 65,535 combinations. This is a huge increase in the number of items of product that can be marked using fewer biomolecule by looking at multiple traits. The power of the present invention is, thus, revealed.

As a chemical method for detecting and decoding the biologic markers, DNA or RNA identifiers can be labeled with biotinylated dATP or UTP, respectively. To detect their presence on a product, the biologic marker can be removed, for example, from a foodstuff, and the DNA or RNA transferred to a nylon membrane and complexed with streptavidine-alkaline phosphatase. The complex formed, then, is detected by reaction with a chemiluminescent substrate visualized on X- ray film.

Just as the sequence of zeros and ones are used by a computer to form a binary code, the four organic bases of nucleic acids (in DNA: A, adenine; C, cytosine; G, guanine; T, thymine) can be used as a quaternary code. Combinations of the bases can be made to correspond to numbers and letters of the alphabet or to denote individual words or phrases. Just as the biological information is encoded by the sequence of the four bases along the DNA molecule, any desired information could be encoded by the development of a suitable encryption scheme. One such exemplary scheme is set forth in Table 2 below:

TABLE 2

In practice, a message would be encoded using a suitable encryption scheme or code, and the corresponding DNA sequence chemically synthesized by one of several commonly used methods. Using one of these methods, it is possible to construct single stranded DNA molecules approximately 80 to 100 base pairs in length. If the message were required to be longer, two different sequences could be made, such that one of their ends could form a double- stranded region. The remaining single stranded regions then could be made double stranded using standard enzymatic methods. In this way, someone versed in the art could form a larger information-containing molecule than is possible using chemical synthesis alone. By combining a number of single stranded molecules in this way, a double stranded molecule of theoretically unlimited length could be made.

In order to propagate the information, the double stranded DNA message could be cloned into any of a variety of cloning vectors and hosts that are readily available, or could be constructed by someone versed in this art. The mDNA could be transported as the double stranded DNA, as the DNA ligated to a suitable vector, or in a bacterial or bacteriophage host, or a virus. Use of the host or the cloned mDNA adsorbed dry to a variety of surfaces as the vehicle for transporting the message could make it virtually impossible to detect by direct methods.

In particular, a bacteria or bacteriophage or a virus could be adsorbed to a variety of surfaces and be undetectable until it was grown in a suitable media or host. Selective genetic features could be engineered into the host-vector combination that would make it difficult or impossible to recover unless the right combination of conditions was used. Once the mDNA has been recovered using suitable means, it could be decoded in a number of ways. The most complete way being determining the actual sequence of the mDNA by one or more of a variety of well-known methods and decoding it according to the encryption scheme that had been used. The other way would be to use a DNA probe to detect the presence of particular sequences. This would require that some knowledge of the sequence of the message be known. This method could be used to determine which of a number of possible alternative messages had been sent. The number of possibilities could be quite large, on the order of hundreds of thousands, as the technology for making and detecting the hybridization of DNA probes is highly developed and, in some instances, is automated. One method of employing the invention would utilize a DNA molecule serving as a biological marker that could be constructed with appropriate sequences complementary to predetermined DNA primers. The DNA biological marker then could be detected or amplified using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The biological marker could be identified and decoded by determining the DNA sequence of the amplified PCR product, by size fractionation, or by other methods commonly used by those skilled in the art. Several steps in the identification process could be automated and carried out by machine. The DNA or other biologic marker preferably is encapsulated or microencapsulated in a food-grade encapsulating medium, e.g., casein, for use in the comestible or medication. Amber or Saran Wrap, for example, may be suitable for encasing biomolecules also. Moreover, the capsule material itself may be biologic in nature. For example, nucleic acid can be used to transform a spore- forming bacteria, such as Bacillus or Clostridium. The bacterial host chosen could be of a strain selected to grow only in a culture media of a defined composition, which might be absent in the animal consuming the product, and that would be known only to the producer of the biologic marker. Heating the spore-forming bacteria produces heat and UV resistant spores with which to protect the nucleic acid identifier. Note, that in this example, the spores also function to mask the nucleic acid identifier since the spore masks UV response traits. The spores used may be conidiospores or endospores.

Additional biologic encapsulants include, inter alia, a virus, or a bacteria. Presently preferred is casein (pharmaceutical or food grade) encapsulant which has been cross-linked with itself to provide a shell which is resistant to environmental insults for protection of the DNA therewithin, e.g., plasmids with cloned inserts carrying specific DNA sequences wherein the inserts are all of specific defined lengths. Fatty or lipoidal material, plastics or other polymers, also can be considered as suitable encapsulants provided that they do not adversely interact with the DNA or other biologic medium and can be selectively "opened" to reveal the biologic for analysis (and the phosphor for IR detection). The size of the encapsulated biologic materials desirably is on the order of one micron in size to about 100 microns; although, such capsules could range range on up to a millimeter or so, depending upon its intended use.

Alternatively, the DNA could be bound to magnetic microbeads and the magnetic presence determined, such as is proposed in U.S. Patent No. 5,360,628, in addition to the use of the phosphors or instead of using the phosphors. For example, plasmid DNA having a lacZ reporter gene can be bound to a DNA- bindable chemical. Magnetic beads (e.g., 1 E size) are coated with la repressor protein, which will bind the plasmid DNA. Then beads, then, can be coated with saran wrap or amber to protect the plasmid. The coated beads then are admixed with the product to be marked and the saran wrap or amber is removed. A Hall Effect or similar device can be used to detect the magnetic beads on the object. Plasmid DNA can be eluted from the magnetic beads using, for example, IPTG, and the plasmid DNA then sequenced, if necessary, to identify the object with the known sequence. Reference also is made to Biotechiques, vol. 14, pp 624-629 (1993), the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.

While both up-converting and down-converting phosphors may be used, a particularly useful phosphor is a rare earth oxysulfide, such as selected from those phosphors as described in British patent application 2,258,659 published on February 17, 1993, this disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference. Such phosphors are described as doped yttrium oxysulphide (Y₂O₂S), in which the dopants comprise, by weight of the oxysulphide, 4% to 50% of one or both of erbium (Er) and ytterbium (Yb). The material may comprise 1 to 50 ppm of one or more other lanthanide elements. Erbium and ytterbium may be replaced by thulium (Tm), holmium (Ho), or lutetium (Lu). The material may be in the form of particles whose average size is no more than 20 μm. Reference also is made to O'Yocom, et al., "Rare-Earth-Doped Oxysulfides for Gallium Arsenide-Pumped Lumines Devices", Met Trans., (1971), 2(3), 763-767, and Wittke, et al., "Erbium- Ytterbium Double Doped Yttrium Oxide. New Red-Emitting Infrared-Excited Phosphor", J. Appl. Phys., (1972), 43(2), 595-600, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference.

With respect to the phosphor as described above (e.g., gallium oxysulfide), such up-converting phosphors require high (peak power) density photon radiation in order to excite emission. A 10 Hz pulsed LED in the 880 nm region of the spectrum with approximately 50 mW peak power should be suitable therefor. With respect to the detector equipment, a simple illuminator can be used where human perception of a greenish glow to determine the presence of the security phosphor is employed. Another proposed illuminator/detector could be manufactured from a flashing LED with a very narrow pulse width due to the fact that human perception is unnecessary. Such detector could have an optical filter that blocks IR illumination frequency and passes only the frequency of radiation emitted by the phosphor, i.e., target frequency. Such a detector could be used under high ambient light conditions. Such a detector could be configured as a simple swipe- type reader or could have a hinged or removable gate to expose the phosphor to the LED.

A proposed illuminator/detector/reader could have the ability to read encoded patterns of the embedded phosphor, such as, for example, a bar code. The reading capability can be provided by suitable software, such as bar code reader engines. As an alternative and/or adjunct to phosphors, luminescent labeling based on the lanthenide ions, samarium (III), europium (III), terbium (III), and dysprosium (III), bound by a chelating agent, could be used as labels for DNA, modified DNA, DNA bases, or other biologic markers. Luminescence from such rare earth ions is generated by exciting the naphthalene group attached to the chelating agent. Thus, light shined on the naphthalene group, which has a long-lived excited state, eventually gives up this excitation energy to the lanthenide ion, which responds by emitting light. Because of the way that the lanthenide ions are linked to naphthalene, a single wavelength of light can excite all four labels, each of them emitting light of a characteristic wavelength. Moreover, the emission bandwidths of the lanthenide ions are narrow, even at room temperature in fluid solution, allowing them to be detected simultaneously with minimum overlap.

Because the lifetimes of the excited states of these ions are relatively long, emission detection can be time-gated, virtually eliminating signals from background sources. Time-gating, for present purposes, comprehends use of a pulsed excitation source which allows a time delay between excitation and detection. Thus, the time delay before detection permits sources of interfering light, such as scattered excitation light, Raman scattering, and impurity fluorescence, to die down before detection is initiated. Another advantage of the lanthenide ions is that they are compatible with both capillary gel electrophoresis, which is considerably faster than conventional sequencing using slab gel electrophoresis, and computer collection and analysis of data.

As another aspect of the present invention, the biologic marker used to identify the product can be masked to be virtually undetectable by an observer who has no knowledge of the traits of the biomolecule, which is associated with the product as its identifier. For example, a mask set of polypeptides can be added to a sequence of amino acids or nucleotides of a polypeptide (or protein). The counterfeiter, thief, or diverter will not easily be able to determine which molecule is the identifier from the combination of the mask molecules and the identifier molecule. Thus, the set of identifiers may differ from each other by a trait, which is different than the trait, which distinguishes the set of mask molecules. Alternatively, the mask biomolecule can include molecules which each differ in a trait which is the same trait as the identifier biomolecule, wherein not all members of the mask set have the same magnitude as all members of the identifier set.

The biological mask also can be less tailored to the first identifier, such as, for example, by including junk DNA such as, for example, salmon sperm DNA or calf thymus DNA. For a counterfeiter, thief, or diverter to discern a small concentration of the identifier biomolecule in a large concentration of junk DNA would be expensive, not unlike looking for the proverbial needle in haystack.

By analogy, the other markers of the present invention also can be masked. For example, one or more magnetic insulators can mask the magnetic identifiers, such as magnetic garnet-for example, gadolinium iron garnet (GdlG) or yttrium iron garnet (YIG) and derivatives and analogs thereof. An optical mask may consist of glass, sand, or another anisotropic material whose function is to provide light of multiple frequencies in order that the presence of the optical identifier is undetectable. Thus, the inventive masking technique has broad application in accordance with the precepts of the present invention.

Fluorescent food-grade dyes useful in incorporating into the overcoat coating include, for example, various rhodamines, such as Columbia Blue, 8- hydroxy-1,3,6-pyrenetrisulfonic acid trisodium salt (HOPSA, Eastman Chemical Company), Rhodamine B, or Hostacell yellow 8G (American Hoechst Corporation). The ultra-violet source exposes the labels when shined on the object at the appropriate location where the label is located.

In the product diversion and anti-counterfeiting fields, products intended for a particular destination will have a particular indicia characterized and the destination will have possession of such characteristics. Upon receipt of the goods, the authorized destination will decode the indicia, for example, to verify a match of those characteristics. Such matching of characteristics or traits can be performed with the aid of a computer, as those skilled in this field will appreciate. Counterfeit goods, of course, will either lack the label or will have a counterfeit label, which lacks correspondence with the authentic traits of indicia, etc.

While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. In this application all units are in the metric system and all amounts and percentages are by weight, unless otherwise expressly indicated. Also, all citations referred herein are expressly incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A method for labeling an animal consumable for its identification, which comprises the steps of:

(a) encapsulating with a food-grade encapsulant a food-grade biologic marker labeled with a detectable food-grade agent; and (b) associating said labeled marker with said comestible, whereby, the comestible to be identified can be exposed to IR and emitted select wavelengths of energy from said agent detected.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said agent emits selected detectable wavelengths of energy when exposed to infrared radiation (IR).

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said agent is magnetic.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said biologic marker is identified also.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said agent is an up-converting phosphor.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said agent is a lanthenide ion bound to a napthalene group.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said lanthenide ion is selected from the group consisting essentially of samarium (III), europium (III), terbium (III), dysprosium (III), and mixtures thereof.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said biologic marker is encoded.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said biologic marker is formed from encoded DNA bases.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said biologic marker is one or more of a protein, a nucleic acid sequence, a polysaccharide a polypeptide, an antibody, or an antigen.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said encapsulant is casein, which has been cross-linked with itself.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein said capsules also contain one or more of a biologic mask or an optical mask.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein said capsules also contain one ore more of a magnetic marker or a masked magnetic marker.

14. A marker for use in labeling and identifying an animal consumable, which comprises: capsules formed from an encapsulant which encapsulates a biologic marker, which marker is labeled with an agent that emits selected detectable wavelengths of energy when exposed to infrared radiation (IR).

15. The label of claim 14, wherein said agent is an up-converting phosphor.

16. The label of claim 14, wherein said agent is a lanthenide ion bound to a napthalene group.

17. The label of claim 14, wherein said lanthenide ion is selected from the group consisting essentially of samarium (III), europium (III), terbium (III), dysprosium (III), and mixtures thereof.

18. The label of claim 14, wherein said encoded DNA bases is encoded with information to determine the place of origin of an object to which the label is affixed.

19. The label of claim 14, which is dispersed in a liquid matrix for spray application onto an object to be labeled.

20. The label of claim 14, wherein said encapsulant is casein, which has been cross-linked with itself.

21. The label of claim 14, wherein said capsules range in size from about 1 micron to about 1 millimeter.

22. The label of claim 14, wherein said capsules also contain a mask.

23. The label of claim 14, wherein said biologic marker comprises encoded DNA bases.

24. The label of claim 14, wherein said biologic marker comprises a MHC or other antigen-presenting molecule.

25. A marker for use in labeling and identifying an animal consumable, which comprises: capsules formed from an encapsulant which encapsulates a biologic marker, which marker is a magnetic marker or a masked magnetic marker.

26. The label of claim 25, wherein said encoded DNA bases is encoded with information to determine the place of origin of an object to which the label is affixed.

27. The label of claim 25, which is dispersed in a liquid matrix for spray application onto an object to be labeled.

28. The label of claim 25, wherein said encapsulant is casein, which has been cross-linked with itself.

29. The label of claim 25, wherein said capsules range in size from about 1 micron to about 1 millimeter.

30. The label of claim 25, wherein said capsules also contain a mask.

31. The label of claim 25, wherein said biologic marker comprises encoded DNA bases.

32. The label of claim 25, wherein said biologic marker comprises a MHC or other antigen-presenting molecule.