Beleave Inc. (CSE: BE) (OTCQX: BLEVF) is pleased to announce that it has developed water-soluble cannabis-infused powder and sugar products to prepare for the adult recreational cannabis-infused food and beverage market next year.

Beleave’s Hamilton laboratory is being expanded to make room for methods to formulate cannabis extracts into soluble, flavourless powders, sugar crystals, and syrups for use in beverages and food products using stability-enhancing techniques for prolonged shelf-life. The final product offered to consumers will be a flexible, food-grade ingredient that delivers an accurate dose of THC and CBD when ingested orally, and with enhanced bioavailability.

Spearheading these efforts is the Company’s recently-appointed VP of Science and Technology, Dr. Peter Chen, who is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Waterloo, School of Pharmacy. Product development and optimization protocols will be done alongside long-term Beleave collaborator, Dr. Michael Rogers, Associate Professor in the Department of Food Sciences at the University of Guelph.

“Our goal is to formulate cannabinoid products that will have improved bioavailability and versatility so they can be infused into various food products and beverages,” said Dr. Chen. “We are extremely excited for all the potential uses and products that will come to market because of our research.”

ADDITIONAL KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Research and development being conducted at Beleave’s Hamilton facility will stem from a patent application recently submitted by Dr. Chen and Dr. Rogers, and is owned by Beleave;
• Manufacturing will be scaled-up to industrial levels and moved to Beleave’s London, Ontario facility once it is fully-licensed; and
• Due to the low water solubility of cannabis extract or oils, directly incorporating them into food products or beverages can lead to low bioavailability, poor shelf-life, and unpredictable dosing; our patent-pending process addresses and solves these problems.

MORE ABOUT THE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT TEAM

Dr. Peter Chen

During his Ph.D. work, Dr. Chen led the food chemistry and bioactives laboratory at AAFC where he trained, supervised and collaborated with international graduate students to establish the institution’s research protocols. The success of his Ph.D. research culminated in him receiving the 2017 Governor General’s Academic Gold Medal for Academic Excellence.

Dr. Michael Rogers

Dr. Rogers is a leading scientist in the areas of lipid structure and nanotechnology in food science, having published 68 articles and two patents. Dr. Rogers studies molecular gels, and self-assembly of nano-fibers and nanotechnology, focusing on delivery of bio-actives and the biophysics of digestion. He is also the holder of a Canada Research Chair in Food Nanotechnology.

ABOUT BELEAVE INC.

Beleave is a vertically-integrated Canadian cannabis company headquartered in Oakville, Ontario, that operates streamlined facilities throughout Canada to cultivate high-quality cannabis flower, oil, and extracts with funded capacity in excess of 150,000 kg per year.

Fully-licensed to cultivate and sell medical and recreational cannabis, Beleave is leading the way through research partnerships with universities to bridge the gap between science and tradition and to develop pharma-grade extracts and derivatives. Beleave is currently developing new product lines for October 2019 as the recreational market is expected to allow for food and beverage-based cannabis products.

Beleave is growing its storefront and online sales presence rapidly through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Beleave Kannabis Corp. and Seven Oaks, which are licensed for medicinal and recreational sales respectively. The company’s first retail location is opening this fall in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan. Beleave has also developed a network of medical cannabis clinics in Ontario and Quebec under the Medi-Green banner.

Through its majority ownership of Procannmed S.A.S., Beleave has access to 27 hectares of outdoor grow space and is fully licensed to cultivate, produce, extract and distribute medical cannabis in Colombia to capitalize on exports and the expanding Latin American market.