Applied DNA gets second patent for cotton tagging system
Applied DNA, which provides DNA-based product authentication solutions, has received notice of allowance on a patent for a DNA transfer system (DTS) designed for large-scale cotton tagging. Titled “Method and Device for Marking Fibrous Materials”, this is the second patent for the system and will protect the proprietary method of tagging cotton fibres during the ginning process.
The company describes the methods covered as “DNA-tagging cotton fibres while they travel through the forced air systems found at cotton gins, and later authenticating the DNA-tagged cotton fibres to prove their provenance and/or authenticity all the way to finished goods”. So far DTS units have tagged more than 300 million pounds of cotton.
The CertainT platform is designed to cost-effectively tag cotton in large quantities while collecting data about each individual bale – including the date, time, location of tagging, the type of cotton being tagged. The DTS can be permanently or temporarily installed in most gins, according to MeiLin Wan, vice president of textile sales, allowing the tagging of cotton worldwide. Units are already installed in the US, Egypt and Australia.
James Hayward, president and CEO of Applied DNA, said the extension of patent protection demonstrates the company’s commitment to protect its CertainT platform.
“We believe the covid-19 pandemic has increased consumer awareness of the need for authenticity in such textiles as those used in personal protective equipment,” he said. The platform is “well-positioned to address the critical issues of traceability and authenticity in our traditional home textiles base, as well as new apparel opportunities currently being explored.”
