Merck Collaborates with p-Chip for Phygital Solution

Science and technology group Merck and micro-transponder producer p-Chip Corp have formed an alliance to use p-Chip’s technology as a crypto-anchor (unique identifier) for creating digital twins of physical products, allowing them to be tracked and authenticated through the supply chain.

The tiny micro-transponders, measuring 500 x 500 x 100 microns, utilise a photocell for power and clock pulses, eliminating the need for induction coils or oscillators. Moreover, they can be used in harsh environments that would damage or decompose other taggant solutions. The micro-transponders can be directly applied to products, including metal, thereby circumventing issues related to label detachment.

With p-Chip, wireless handheld readers for portable scanning have been developed for integration into existing processes via Bluetooth. According to Merck, the integration of these readers represents a significant milestone, demonstrating that different crypto- anchors – including barcodes and RFID chips, as well as Merck’s own Securalic® security pigments – can be unified on a single technical platform.

p-Chip was in the news recently for providing its solution to protect Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese, with about 100,000 parmesan cheese wheels being embedded with p-Chip micro-transponders in 2022. This new way of tracing the cheese came about through a partnership between the cheesemakers, p-Chip and cheese mark producer Kaasmerk Matec (see ABN September 2023).

Merck’s ventures into animal traceability

Merck first ventured into the traceability sector in 2019, when Merck Animal Health acquired Antelliq Corp and its brands, Allflex Livestock Intelligence, Sure Petcare and Biomark, for animal identification, monitoring and intelligent data management.

Also in 2019, the company acquired Vaki, a leader in fish farming and wild fish conservation monitoring equipment and real-time video monitoring technology.

Then in 2020, Merck Animal Health acquired Quantified Ag®, a data and analytics company monitoring cattle body temperature and movement for the early detection of illness, as well as IdentiGEN, a leader in DNA-based animal traceability solutions for livestock and aquaculture.

IdentiGEN’s technology combines each species’ unique DNA with data analytics to provide an evidence-based farm-to- fork traceability solution, called DNA TraceBack®, for beef, seafood, pork and poultry.