The counterfeiting problem in PDO and PGI products
Italian protected-designation agri-food – DOP, IGP, STG – generates economic value exceeding €20 billion per year across the domestic market and exports, spread across more than 850 certified products. It is also the sector most exposed to counterfeiting and Italian Sounding, whose global market is estimated by the leading Protection Consortia at over €100 billion worldwide.
3 corporate roles are today managing this critical issue from different angles, with a common technical requirement:
- DOP and IGP producers (wineries, oil mills, dairies, cured-meat manufacturers) are seeking authentication systems integrated directly into the label or the consortium seal, which do not increase logistical complexity and are perceived by the end consumer as a value-adding feature.
- The R&D departments of agri-food groups are evaluating technologies scalable to industrial print runs (millions of units/year) compatible with existing printing processes, with replicable technical specifications and suppliers able to guarantee production continuity.
- Label printing companies serving the premium agri-food sector are looking for value-adding finishing processes - high-margin services that set them apart from traditional printing - which can be integrated into the screen-printing and flexographic lines already in use.
The anti-counterfeiting solutions currently most widespread – adhesive holograms, alphanumeric codes, QR codes, numbered seals – present operational limitations that make them unsuitable for premium DOP/IGP positioning:
- Slow verification or impossible without a smartphone and internet connection
- Industrial replicability relatively accessible to organised counterfeiters
- Added as a separate adhesive element, with logistical costs and a perception of artificiality
- Scaling difficulties on high print runs while maintaining competitive unit costs
The IPS solution: thermosensitive and photosensitive Capsular Ink
Since the 1990s, IPS Industrial has developed and industrialised a line of functional inks with microencapsulated active ingredients – Capsular Ink – now applicable to the DOP/IGP sector to create anti-counterfeiting labels and seals verifiable within seconds without dedicated devices.
The system is based on two complementary technologies, which can be used individually or in combination to achieve a double security level:
- Thermosensitive inks with microencapsulated liquid crystals contain liquid crystals protected by core-shell microcapsules. The application of localised heat (even just the fingertip of the operator or inspector) activates the unique red → green → blue colour sequence within a thermal range calibrated during formulation - a visual response impossible to replicate without access to the original technology.
- Photosensitive inks contain UV photochromic pigments. Exposure to a UV pen or ultraviolet lamp - standard tools in customs controls, large-scale retail and professional verification contexts - reveals a colouration that spontaneously returns to transparent within a few minutes.
The industrial validity of this approach is documented by the SIAE anti-counterfeiting labels case study: for decades IPS has supplied the Italian Society of Authors and Publishers with authentication labels on millions of units, based on the same microencapsulation technology now applicable to the premium agri-food sector.
Technical specifications for industrialisation
Microencapsulation ensures functional stability of the inks through a polymer shell that isolates the active ingredient from oxygen, moisture and degrading radiation.
This translates into significant industrial advantages for those planning a high-volume B2B order:
- Virtually unlimited activation cycles for the end user: the security element remains verifiable throughout the commercial life of the product, with no functional degradation.
- Compatibility with industrial printing processes screen-printing and flexographic, already in use at the sector’s printers – no investment in new equipment, no structural line modifications.
| Thermosensitive liquid crystals | UV photosensitive inks | |
|---|---|---|
| Activation stimulus | Localised heat (defined thermal range) | Ultraviolet radiation (UV pen or lamp) |
| Colour response | Red → green → blue sequence | Transparent → coloured |
| Reversibility | Complete, repeatable cycles | Complete - repeatable cycles |
| Verification tool | Heat source (finger, warm air) | UV pen or ultraviolet lamp |
| Printing techniques | Screen-printing (preferred), flexography | Screen-printing (preferred), flexography |
| Compatible substrates | Paper, cardboard, PET, PP, self-adhesives | Paper, cardboard, PET, PP, self-adhesives |
| Minimum industrial volumes | Compatible with high print runs | Compatible with high print runs |
| Replication difficulty | High - defined thermal range | High - dedicated functional UV formulation |
Integration into the industrial printing process
Capsular Ink is supplied as a ready-to-use ink, integrated into the screen-printing or flexographic printing cycle as a dedicated step.
The security zone – defined during the design phase with the client – can be placed on the consortium band, guarantee seal, back label, closure seal or main label, depending on the producer’s positioning and anti-counterfeiting strategy.
Standard operational workflow for an industrial order:
- Joint technical briefing between producer, printer and IPS to define the print zone, target thermal range (for thermosensitive inks) and type of UV pigment (for photosensitive)
- Calibration of the formulation to project specifications - IPS produces customised ink based on the brief
- Supply of Capsular Ink for technical trials by the producer-printer
- Industrial scale-up
- Series production with Capsular Ink as an additional ink in the standard cycle
Screen-printing is the preferred technique for anti-counterfeiting printing: it deposits thicker layers, ensures greater functional density per unit of surface area and produces a more intense visual response. Flexography is compatible and suitable for volume production with attention to controlling the printing pressure in order to preserve the integrity of the microcapsules.
Commercial advantages for the three main targets
For DOP and IGP producers
- Universal verification without devices: the end consumer, customs inspector, large-scale retail buyer or distributor's quality manager authenticates the product within seconds - a decisive advantage over QR codes that require connection and an app.
- Industrial replication difficulty: the microencapsulated functional formulation is technically complex to counterfeit without access to dedicated technology, raw materials and equipment.
- Higher perceived value: the interactive element (changing colour) is memorable for the consumer, reinforces premium positioning and lends itself to communication campaigns.
- Integration into the existing label: no additional adhesive element, no logistical complexity - Capsular Ink is printed directly onto the material already in use.
For the R&D departments of agri-food groups
- Industrialised, not experimental technology: IPS has been producing Capsular Ink for over 30 years - this is not a proof-of-concept but a well-established solution
- Scalability on B2B print runs: compatible with industrial orders of hundreds of thousands or millions of units per year.
- Replicable technical specifications: thermal ranges, colour response, substrates and printing parameters are parameterisable and documentable for internal quality procedures.
- Continuity of supply: IPS produces the formulations in-house at its Italian plant, ensuring control of the supply chain.
- Combinability with other systems: can be integrated with serial codes, QR codes, holograms and microtext for multi-level protection.
For label printing companies
- High-margin differentiating service: functional printing with Capsular Ink is a value-adding process that makes it possible to offer the end client a superior proposition compared with competing printers.
- No investment in new machinery: Capsular Ink is printed with the screen-printing and flexographic lines already in use.
- IPS support: transfer of operational know-how (pressure, speed and drying parameters) to ensure printing quality from the very first job.
- Positioning in premium sectors: access to the DOP/IGP, premium beverage and security printing segments - traditionally less exposed to the price war of generic printing.
Development status and supply terms
Thermosensitive Capsular Ink technology and photosensitive is industrialised and available as a B2B supply.
The specific application to the DOP/IGP agri-food sector is under development as a dedicated concept and requires a joint design phase with the client for: defining the print zone on the existing seal or label, calibrating the optimal thermal range, validating on the printer’s production line, and integrating with any other traceability systems.
IPS supports producers, agri-food R&D departments and printing companies through its structured service for the development of new microencapsulation projects: analysis of the application context, prototyping on the client’s actual material, and support for industrial transfer.
FAQ - Frequently asked questions on DOP and IGP anti-counterfeiting labels
Technical answers on volumes, security, printing processes and the integration of Capsular Ink with microencapsulated active ingredients for producers, agri-food R&D departments and label printers.
What minimum volumes are needed to activate an industrial supply of anti-counterfeiting Capsular Ink?
IPS is structured to serve both high-volume industrial orders, from tens of thousands up to millions of printed label or seal units, and smaller production volumes, including pilot tests. Thanks to its production flexibility, IPS assesses each project on a case-by-case basis during the technical briefing, identifying the most suitable solution according to the client's quantities, technical specifications and objectives.
How difficult is it really to counterfeit Capsular Ink compared with holograms or QR codes?
The difference is structural. A hologram can be replicated by anyone with access to a specialised international printing house; a QR code is trivially cloneable. Capsular Ink, by contrast, requires access to microencapsulation technology, to functional raw materials (liquid crystals with a specific thermal range, stable photochromic pigments) and to dedicated equipment - a technical and infrastructural combination not available to the typical counterfeiter.
Does the colour effect last for the entire commercial life of the product?
Yes. The polymer shell of the microcapsules protects the active material from oxidation, moisture and light exposure. Verification remains functional for years under standard storage and distribution conditions in the agri-food sector, including the temperature fluctuations of cold rooms and transport.
Is Capsular Ink compatible with flexographic printing processes for large volumes?
Yes. Flexography is one of the compatible techniques - particularly suited to the high print runs typical of the large DOP Consortia. Screen-printing remains the preferred technique for security printing applications where maximum functional density and visual rendering are required. IPS provides the printer with technical information on the optimal parameters (pressure, speed, drying) to preserve the integrity of the microcapsules during the in-line pass.
How long does the development process take from briefing to series production?
Development goes through standard phases - joint technical briefing, formulation calibration, prototyping on the actual substrate, print testing by the printer - the timing of which depends on the complexity of the project and the number of calibration iterations required.
Is it possible to combine Capsular Ink with QR codes, serial codes or blockchain traceability systems already adopted by our Consortium?
Yes, Capsular Ink is designed to integrate with pre-existing traceability systems. It can be printed in a dedicated zone alongside serial codes, dynamic QR codes, holograms or microtext - creating a multi-level system that combines immediate visual verification without devices (Capsular Ink), digital traceability (QR codes, blockchain) and graphic security (holograms). The three levels address different verification contexts - consumer, distributor, control authority - and reinforce one another.
Does IPS manufacture in Italy or rely on foreign suppliers?
IPS produces all Capsular Ink inks in-house, together with the microencapsulated formulations, at its Italian plant. This ensures control of the production supply chain, continuity of supply, traceability of raw materials and response times compatible with B2B industrial requirements.
What are the sectors where IPS has already industrialised the anti-counterfeiting technology?
The consolidated application is the SIAE case study - authentication labels for audiovisual media supplied for decades in multi-million volumes. The DOP/IGP agri-food sector represents a natural and strategic extension of this industrial experience.
