From CBD infused tea and coffee to THC beer, the cannabis industry is experimenting with various drinkable products that allow canna-consumers to enjoy their favorite edibles and beverages without the associated smoke or oily edible aftertaste. However, the current market for these drinks suffers from many issues, including a late onset of effects and the inability to be consumed discreetly. But these problems may be on the verge of being solved with water-soluble cannabinoid.

Until now, it’s water-soluble cannabinoids to make cannabinoids fully soluble in water. The reason is that THC and other cannabinoids are fat soluble, or hydrophobic, molecules, which mean they do not naturally dissolve in water-based mixtures. Instead, cannabis producers must use oils and alcohol to help the cannabinoids dissolve in water-based mixtures. This makes producing and consuming cannabis-infused beverages much more cumbersome, not to mention expensive, than it needs to be.

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To overcome the insolubility issue, most products on the market today rely on liposomes and other nanoparticles to achieve some level of solubility. These technologies are more complex to produce and require a higher investment in research and development than other extraction techniques. Additionally, these methods are ineffective at delivering the full benefits of THC because they deliver cannabinoids into the body via the digestive system rather than directly to the bloodstream.

A new discovery from Xinteza of Tel Aviv, Israel (via NextEvo), could solve these challenges and create true water-soluble cannabinoid. The company has discovered a set of genes and enzymes that are uniquely tailored by nature to promote the fusion of sugar moieties to cannabinoid molecules, achieving true water solubility.