Title : Traceability data integrity and lab informatics in plant tissue culture
Abstract:
Tissue culture facilities struggle with opaque records, slow contamination tracing, and limited environmental control across the micropropagation lifecycle. We present TCLedger (PIPRA Solutions), a digital platform that delivers tamper-evident, real-time, end-to-end traceability from mother-stock registration and explant sterilization through initiation, multiplication, rooting, acclimatization, and dispatch. Each culture line or vial is bound to a QR-coded unique identifier. Mobile and web workflows capture SOP steps, operators, timestamps, reagents and lots, workstations, and deviations. An IoT sensing stack (temperature, humidity/moisture, and power/current) streams data via gateways at short-interval cadence, enabling threshold-based alerts and room-level dashboards for culture areas. A permissioned blockchain anchors event hashes to provide immutable, role-scoped audit trails and chain-of-custody across rooms and sites. Built-in analytics reconstruct lineage graphs, back-trace contamination paths, correlate environment to outcomes, and support schedule optimization and SPC-style monitoring. In operational evaluations at partner facilities, TCLedger achieved 100% lineage traceability across batches, up to 70% faster identification of contamination sources, ~90% improvement in environmental monitoring accuracy through real?time sensing, ~80% reduction in manual errors and administrative effort via digitization, and ~50% lower resource wastage by optimizing conditions and scheduling. The platform integrates with QR printers/labelers, LIMS/ERP, and cold-chain logistics, and supports role-based access to protect sensitive material and IP. By unifying identity, sensing, and immutable records within a single workflow, TCLedger strengthens biosafety, increases reproducibility, and scales training and oversight across multiple culture rooms and sites. The approach offers a reproducible template for facilities pursuing GMP-like compliance, certification readiness, and data integrity by design.
Keywords: tissue culture; micropropagation; traceability; blockchain; IoT; contamination
monitoring; lab informatics; controlled?environment agriculture; quality systems.
