Anti-counterfeiting tech company Dotz Limited (ASX: DTZ) has successfully embedded its BioDotz security markers into plants with a close biological structure to cannabis.
Dotz’s eco-friendly BioDotz markers were added to the plants at the company’s research facility in Israel. Proof of concept results showed BioDotz did not affect the basic properties or appearance of the plants and were detectable with Dotz’s InSpec detector days after being added.
Plants with a close biological structure to cannabis were used for the testing as for legal reasons cannabis plants could not be used. The next stage of tests will be done on cannabis strains with licensed growers.
Dotz lodged a patent application (#266444) with the Patent Bureau for the use of BioDotz direct tagging of cannabis and other high-value or restricted plants to enhance the security, production, processing and supply chain.
BioDotz markers feature multiple layers of security and are designed to continue working in elevated temperatures over extended periods. The markers were identified in real time on plant leaves and after drying, using Dotz’s secure on-site app-based InSpec readers.
The successful POC allows Dotz to conduct confirmation tests on cannabis strains with licensed growers and commence discussions within the global legal cannabis market, which is experiencing rapid growth of 30% CAGR and is projected to be worth more than US$146 billion by 2025. If fully proven in cannabis plants, Dotz could offer a complete end-to-end anti-counterfeiting solution that would prevent illegal cannabis from being introduced into the legal market as well as legal cannabis from being diverted to the illegal market.
Commenting on the successful POC, Dotz CEO, Uzi Breier said: “Like most high-value industries, cannabis is increasingly being targeted by counterfeiters. To date, cannabis producers and manufacturers have had to rely on barcode or RFID tags to comply with track-and-trace requirements. However, these existing measures are not sufficing and can be circumvented. Dotz has conceptually demonstrated a unique end-to-end in-plant tagging solution, which is extremely difficult to remove or replicate, to allow the industry to better comply with State and Federal regulations.”
“Israel is the cannabis research capital of the world. The next-stage tests will be done with licensed growers. While additional development is needed and we don’t expect immediate cannabis related revenues, this successful POC demonstrates the versatility of our anti-counterfeiting technology, particularly in high-growth markets such as cannabis and high-value crops such as Saffron iii. As far as we know we are the first company to successfully mark and authenticate cannabis-like plants with our BioDotz™ markers, which provides Dotz with a sizeable market opportunity to revolutionise the cannabis marketplace by allowing growers and producers to implement customised unique tracing codes.”