Oil detection process, apparatus and taggant therefor

1. A process for detecting oil or lubricant contamination in a manufactured product, the process comprising:

adding a fluorescent taggant to oils or lubricants contained in processing machinery for said product;

conveying said product past an infrared detection apparatus;

irradiating said product with infrared radiation from said detection apparatus as it passes the detection apparatus; and

detecting infrared radiation emitted from said irradiated product,

wherein different fluorescent taggants are added to the oils or lubricants in different processing machinery.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein said taggant is a Stokes-shifting taggant, which absorbs infrared radiation at a first wavelength and fluoresces at a second wavelength, different from said first wavelength.

3. The process of claim 2 , wherein said first wavelength is about 805 nanometers and said second wavelength is about 8400 nanometers.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the taggant is oil soluble.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein the taggant is an Indocyanine Green complex.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein said manufactured product is a food product.

7. The process of claim 1 , further comprising rejecting said manufactured product when said measuring indicates the presence of said taggant.

8. An inspection station for detecting oil or lubricant contamination in a manufactured product, comprising

(a) means for advancing manufactured product; and

(b) an infrared detection apparatus, said infrared detection apparatus including:

(i) a high intensity infrared light source for directing at the manufactured product and

(ii) a high speed NIR spectrometer sensor tuned to detect an emitted signal from a taggant disposed in the oil,

wherein said infrared detection apparatus is positioned proximate said means for advancing manufactured product at a distance effective to enable detection of reflected R radiation as each advancing successive manufactured product is irradiated.

9. The inspection station of claim 8 , wherein the infrared detection apparatus detects a primary emission peak of the taggant.

10. The inspection station of claim 9 , wherein at least a portion of the manufactured product displaying the primary emission peak of the taggant are segregated for offline detection of a secondary peak associated with a source of oil contamination.

11. The inspection station of claim 8 , wherein said inspection station includes an inspection drum of a cigarette tipping machine, said inspection drum having a plurality of flutes and said manufactured product is a tobacco rod.

12. The inspection station of claim 11 , wherein said tipping machine further comprises a reject drum, said reject drum configured to receive a signal from a control device to eject tobacco rods detected to contain one or more of the taggants.

13. A fluorescent taggant composition, comprising:

a Stokes-shifting taggant, which absorbs infrared radiation at a first wavelength and emits infrared radiation at a second wavelength, different from said first wavelength, dissolved in an oil or lubricant.

14. The composition of claim 13 , wherein said first wavelength is about 760 to about 810 nanometers and said second wavelength is about 810 nanometers to about 960 nanometers.

15. The composition of claim 13 , wherein the Stokes-shifting taggant is an oil-soluble taggant and is an Indocyanine Green complex.

16. The composition of claim 13 , wherein said taggant has the following chemical structure:

17. A compound comprising a tetrabutylammonium chloride complex of Indocyanine Green, wherein said compound has the following chemical structure: