About the Ajinomoto Group | Monosodium Glutamate & Umami | Why Use MSG

The Ajinomoto Group is a global food company with a mission to contribute to the well-being of people around the world through delicious and healthy foods, and to better lives for the future. Using cutting-edge bioscience and fermentation technologies, the Ajinomoto Group is a leader in the research and application of amino acids.

Ajinomoto Group    •    Umami Global    •   Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America, Inc.

Where To Buy MSG

MSG is sold under the brand name Ac’cent® in the United States, as well as AJI-NO-MOTO®, and can be purchased in the spice aisle of most major supermarkets, Asian grocery stores and online.

Ajinomoto Group By The Numbers

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  In 35 countries and around the world, the various employees of the Ajinomoto Group develop the business stemming from each local culture.

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  The Kawasaki Plant, which is the mother plant, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2014. We are developing plants now in 22 countries and areas around the world. We deliver safe and reliable products to customers throughout the world.

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  AJI-NO-MOTO® was exported to Taiwan in 1910, which is the next year of the company’s founding. The New York office was established in 1917. The number of countries and areas selling Ajinomoto Group products now exceeds 130.

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  The number of R&D workers of the Ajinomoto Group, which was approximately 100 in 1956, has increased to approximately 1000 with the growth of the business. This is why the Ajinomoto Group is said to be an unrivaled food company driven by technology.

• Umami was first identified by Tokyo scientist Dr. Kikunae Ikeda in
  while enjoying a bowl of traditional Japanese seaweed broth called konbu dashi. He noticed the dashi’s savory taste was distinct from the four basic tastes of sweet, sour, bitter, and salty, so he called it “umami,” which means “essence of deliciousness” in Japanese.

  After days of studying varied seaweed, he found that the taste of umami could be attributed to glutamate, a naturall-occurring amino acid which is also present in the human body and myriad foods such as tomatoes, mushrooms, aged cheeses, cured meats, onions and seafood.

  To bring this umami taste to everyone in a convenient and affordable way, Dr. Ikeda combined naturally occurring glutamate with one-part sodium, resulting in monosodium glutamate (MSG). By 1909, MSG was patented and commercialized as AJI-NO-MOTO®, to become the world’s first umami seasoning.

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