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Soylent (meal replacement)

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Soylent
Soylent in container
Typepowder
Created byRob Rhinehart
Invented2013
Nutritional value
(per serving)
Protein38 g
Fat65 g
Carbohydrate400 g
This article is about an artificial total diet substitute. For other uses, see Soylent (disambiguation).

Soylent is a nutritional drink, intended to cover all human nutritional requirements for an adult so that it may serve as main or sole food. Its creator, software engineer Rob Rhinehart, researched nutritional requirements and developed the formula by self-experimentation based on his own research online, with textbooks, and through scientific journals.[1][2]

A commercial version of Soylent has been financed by a crowdfunding campaign on Tilt and venture capital which raised funds in excess of US$3,500,000.[3][4] The funding paid for additional research and modification of the formula. The first shipments of U.S. orders began in the first week of May 2014.[5] In January 2015, Soylent received $20 million in Series A round funding, led by Andreessen Horowitz.[6]

Development

As of May 2013, Soylent had been tested by Rhinehart himself and by a handful of volunteers as well as individuals recreating the substance independently at home.[2][7] Modifications to the ingredient list have occurred. Though versions of the product could be made at home using non-typical food items, Soylent manufactured by the Soylent company utilizes ingredients generally recognized as safe[8] by the United States FDA.

Version Changes Date
Soylent 1.0 First full version. Ingredients were finalized in January 2014[9], and shipments began in April[10](vegan) and May[11] (regular) of 2014. Early 2014
Soylent 1.1 The sucralose was decreased, giving it a more neutral flavor, and it added new digestive enzymes.[12] October 2, 2014[13]
Soylent 1.2 Omega-3 from fish sources was replaced with omega-3 from algae, making the drink suitable for vegans and the enzymes added in Soylent 1.1 were removed.[14] November 10, 2014[15]
Soylent 1.3 Dipotassium phosphate was added and shipping box sizes were reduced.[16] December 11, 2014[17]
Soylent 1.4 Fats were incorporated into the powder which eliminated the need for the oil bottles, resulting in less packaging required in the shipping boxes and isomaltulose was added.[18] February 25, 2015[19]

Naming

The product's name is an inside joke based on Harry Harrison's 1966 science fiction novel Make Room! Make Room! in which the food product derives from soya and lentils. Although it's commonly associated with its 1973 film adaptation Soylent Green in which the eponymous food supplement is made from human remains.[20]

Cost

In April 2013, Rhinehart said he was spending US$154.62 per month on Soylent, yielding a diet of 11,000 kilojoules (2,600 kcal) per day[21] while a diet of medical food such as Jevity would cost US$456 per month for 8,400 kilojoules (2,000 kcal).[22] For comparison, a family of four in the United States can purchase enough food to eat at home for approximately US$584 per month[23] which is slightly less per person than Rhinehart's base Soylent cost.

Soylent 1.0, shipped commercially since May 2014, was supplied in quantities of 7, 14, or 28 bags, with 7 bags stated to be enough for "21+" meals.[24] As of February 2015 it was available only in the US, at $85 for 7 bags, reducing the price for larger quantities or a monthly subscription.[25][26]

Nutritional data

Below are the nutritional contributions of the ingredients used in the manufacture of Soylent 1.0.[27]

Non-essential ingredients

Nutrition

The following summarizes the nutrition facts and ingredients for Soylent 1.2.[only nutrition facts are listed here not ingredient list which show up as Maltodextrin, Rice Protein, Oat Flour in addition to the vitamin mineral mixture on the soylent link][28] The nutrition facts are based on one serving of 148 grams (5.2 oz).[28] Each Soylent pouch contains 3 servings.

Taste

Soylent contains soy lecithin, gum arabic, vanillin and sucralose as masking flavors and to adjust appearance, texture and smell.[30] Rhinehart calls the flavor "minimal", "broad" and "nonspecific".[31]

Reviews on the taste of Soylent vary widely. Negative reviews have called it a "punishingly boring, joyless product", "like someone wrung out a dishtowel into a glass ",[32] "purposefully bland", "and compared the taste to "homemade nontoxic Play-Doh".[33][34] Others were "pleasantly surprised" with the "rich, creamy, and strangely satisfying" flavor,[34] or likened it to that of a vanilla milkshake with the texture of pancake batter.[35]

See also

References

  1. ^ Finley, Klint (May 3, 2013). "Silicon Valley And The Reinvention Of Food". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
  2. ^ a b Storr, Will (May 6, 2013). "The man who lives without food". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
  3. ^ Scutti, Susan (February 18, 2014). "Can Soylent, A New Crowd-Funded Nutritional Drink, Back Its Claims? Eat All A Healthy Body Needs For $9/Day". Medical Daily. Retrieved 2014-03-14.
  4. ^ "Soylent". Tilt.com. Tilt.com. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  5. ^ "Soylent Update". Discourse.soylent.me. May 1, 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-06.
  6. ^ Soylent Raises Money. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  7. ^ Davis, Lauren (June 2, 2013). "Could Soylent really replace all of the food in your diet?". io9. Retrieved 2013-06-02.
  8. ^ Soylent Corporation (June 1, 2014). "Soylent FAQ - Is it safe?". Retrieved 2014-03-14.
  9. ^ http://blog.soylent.me/post/73232819517/there-is-more-to-food-than-nutrition-even-a
  10. ^ http://blog.soylent.me/post/83664297438/soylent-update-4-23
  11. ^ http://blog.soylent.me/post/84472994397/5-1-shipping-update
  12. ^ Soylent gets a version bump to 1.1—new flavor, new gut flora help. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  13. ^ http://blog.soylent.me/post/98982202087/introducing-soylent-1-1
  14. ^ Announcing Soylent 1.2
  15. ^ Announcing Soylent 1.2
  16. ^ Soylent 1.3 Shipping Today. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  17. ^ Soylent 1.3 Shipping Today. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  18. ^ Soylent 1.4 begins shipping today. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  19. ^ http://blog.soylent.me/post/112067551237/soylent-1-4-begins-shipping-today
  20. ^ Varughese, Ansa (March 15, 2013). "Rob Rhinehart, 24, Creates Soylent: Why You Never Have To Eat Food Again". Medical Daily. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
  21. ^ Pomeroy, Ross (April 1, 2013). "'Soylent': Can Man Survive on Goop Alone?". Real Clear Science. Retrieved 2013-05-27.
  22. ^ Matthews, Dylan (March 14, 2013). "Rob Rhinehart has a crazy plan to let you go without food forever. It just might work". Washington Post. Retrieved 2013-05-14.
  23. ^ "Gruel today, gruel tomorrow". The Economist. May 25, 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  24. ^ Hutchinson, Lee (September 5, 2013). "Ars does Soylent, the finale: Soylent dreams for people". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2014-05-06.
  25. ^ "Soylent Website Launch". Soylent. May 5, 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-23.
  26. ^ Soylent Web site, "Purchase" page
  27. ^ Rhinehart, Rob. "What's In Soylent". Mostly Harmless. Retrieved 2013-05-14.
  28. ^ a b "Soylent 1.2 Final Nutrition". Soylent. 27 January 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  29. ^ a b c "Soylent Nutrition Facts". Soylent.me. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  30. ^ "There is more to food than nutrition". Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  31. ^ "Stephen Colbert Taste Tests Soylent... And Finds It Delicious?", Inc. (magazine), June 13, 2014, Rhinehart described the "minimal flavor" as "broad" and "nonspecific"
  32. ^ "We Drank Soylent The Weird Food of the Future", Gawker, May 19, 2013
  33. ^ Manjoo, Farhad (May 28, 2014), "The Soylent Revolution Will Not Be Pleasurable", The New York Times
  34. ^ a b "Soylent survivor: one month living on lab-made liquid nourishment", The Verge, July 17, 2014
  35. ^ "Soylent Review", Business Insider, July 14, 2014
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