The Soylent Team has announced the next version of their popular powdered meal replacement product, Soylent 1.5. This one is all about improving the food's texture and taste.

Of course, some people may be turned off by the idea of a food that gets numbered versions- as well as detailed changelogs with each new version- but Soylent seems to be really popular in the tech industry.

The Soylent Team focused on efficiency with Soylent 1.4 by removing superfluous elements, and finally got rid of the need for the nasty fish oil bottle that came shipped with your bag of Soylent. With a simplified preperation, they are now ready to move onto the next concern- texture and taste.

Since Soylent is designed to be the only food you will ever need (you can survive on nothing but Soylent and water) taste is a really important factor. Most people have been surprised at how good the beige liquid tasted- thick, but not as heavy as a milkshake.

However, some people didn't appreciate the silty texture when they left it in the fridge overnight-which is generally the preferred method of preperation for the next day.

Here's its official descriptions:

Improved Texture

"First, oat flour was reduced by 25 grams. Oats, and specifically the effects of water and cold temperatures on the beta-glucan fibers within oats, were the cause of the unwanted texture. Lower quantities of oats effectively mitigates any potential unpleasantness."

"In conjunction with the reduction in oats, we added a small amount of two new types of emulsifiers. While 1.4 contained just xanthan gum, Soylent 1.5 now has small amounts of a fiber known as cellulose gum, as well as carrageenan (not to be confused with degraded carrageenan, a different compound)."

Changes in Carbohydrates

"The reduction in oat flour has required us to make several tweaks to Soylent’s carbohydrate sources."

"In 1.5, the rice starch has been reduced from 31 grams to 15 grams per pouch. To offset this, potato starch was increased by 23 grams. Additionally, 15 grams of a new type of disaccharide, trehalose, have been included. To round things off, isomaltulose was increased by 5 grams and sucralose was reduced to 15 milligrams. In total, 1.5 has approximately 8 grams more of carbohydrates per pouch than 1.4. For a detailed breakdown of all carbohydrates, please visit the carbohydrates FAQ page."

Changes in Powdered Oils

"In this release, safflower and flaxseed oil powders were removed and replaced with canola oil powder. This new fatty acid source is supplemented with the existing high oleic sunflower oil and algal oil."

"These modifications result in an even more robust fatty acid profile. Soylent 1.5 has a 94 percent increase in omega-3 fatty acids (DHA, ALA), a 92 percent increase in the omega-6 fatty acid, linoleic acid, and a 17 percent reduction in the already low saturated fat levels. Soylent still contains no significant quantity of cholesterol or trans fats."

Slight Decrease in Sodium Chloride

"In order to provide the most neutral flavor profile possible, the salt (sodium chloride) content has been reduced to 3.2 grams per pouch. This effectively reduces the total sodium content to 1,520 mg, on par with the Institute of Medicine’s daily recommended intake of 1,500 mg of sodium per day."

For more info on Soylent, visit the recently launched soylent.com.