Hyderabad: Researchers at Osmania University have developed PollenSignum, a pollen-based nano-optical authentication system designed to help detect counterfeit products and support forensic verification of valuable articles.
The technology combines the microscopic characteristics of authenticated pollen grains with the optical and fluorescent properties of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanomaterials. According to a university press release, the two distinct signatures can work together to create a layered authentication system.
The innovation could have applications in security documents, currency substrates, security threads, pharmaceutical packaging, jewellery, gemstones, luxury products, certificates and collectibles.
PollenSignum Combines Biological and Optical Signatures
The system uses the distinctive shape, surface structure and outer wall architecture of pollen grains as a biological identifier. Zinc oxide nanomaterials provide a second signature through their measurable optical or fluorescent properties.
Researchers can register and verify these two characteristics together to help establish whether an article matches its registered authentication marker.
A key feature of PollenSignum is its ability to generate combinations of pollen types and encode them spatially. The initial reference library described in the patent application contains 12 distinguishable pollen types, providing a theoretical 4,096 non-empty combinations. Additional optical signatures and spatial positioning could expand the coding possibilities.
The authentication marker can also be enclosed in a sealed micro-container that allows optical screening, followed by microscopic or forensic examination where required.
The technology was developed by Dr A. Vijaya Bhasker Reddy, D. Nirmala and B. Vijay Kumar at Osmania University. The name combines “Pollen” with the Latin word “Signum”, meaning a sign, mark, symbol or identifier.
The Indian patent application, titled “PollenSignum: A Combinatorial Pollen-Based Nano-Optical Authentication System with Spatially Encoded Biological Signatures,” was filed on September 19, 2026, and published by the Indian Patent Office on October 2.
The concept brings together botany, pollen science, nanotechnology and optical authentication. However, further validation, standardisation and scale-up would be needed before commercial deployment, according to published reporting.
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