Just last week, we were talking about how companies and individuals increasingly imagine alternatives to food products. More importantly, that these food alternatives require the use of 3D Printing. But when we talk about food; it becomes easy to envision a 3D Printing process of something that will ultimately become solid. But 3D Printing a beverage? That is something, we just learned from Mike Tyson.
His company, The Ranch Companies, has been granted a global license for 3D printing edible cannabis products. The company behind this license is Smart Cups, a company that develops the world’s first printed beverage forever changing the idea that a beverage must come in a bottle or can. Three years ago, the technology company and drink manufacturer launched its 3D-Polycapsule Printed line of energy drinks.
“Having the ability to produce lines of ingestible cannabis products that will have accurate and consistent doses of cannabis is incredibly important to us”, the former professional boxer said, in an interview with Forbes.
So how do they plan this?
The company’s secret weapon consists in a micro-encapsulation printing technology that is utilized to infuse plant-based products into a substrate, which is then inserted in a bioplastic cup.
“In this specific application, we use water soluble cannabinoids and are able to precisely print them on virtually any surface,” explained Chris Kanik, founder and CEO of Smart Cups. “The printed actives and flavors are released when they come in contact with a liquid (i.e. water, soda, or saliva).”
Despite the fascinating process of Smart Cups’ technology, Tyson’s company also keeps in mind that the product should be healthy. Indeed, cannabis products are so strong that wrong dosing can quickly become inappropriate for the human body. And the advantage of using Smart Cups’ technologies lies in the ability to accurately control dosages.
Taking an example of a general medication, Kanik continued: “at the moment, the industry is lacking consistency. When an individual consumes 100mg of aspirin, no matter where they are in the world, they are confident that they are consuming 100mg of aspirin. Smart Cups Technology can provide that same consumer confidence.”
“We have partnered with top research universities to collect critical clinical data supporting CBD for medicinal purposes and pain relief. The Smart Cups Technology is a new delivery system which we believe will set new standards in this industry.”
This partnership certainly shows a novelty in cannabis consumption, but the most important step now consists in making it fully legal, and that is the role of authorities.
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