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height="16" alt="Search" /></button></form> </header>   <main class="main"> <nav class='p-breadcrumbs' style=''><ul class='p-breadcrumbs__list' itemscope itemtype='https://schema.org/BreadcrumbList'><li class='p-breadcrumbs__item' itemprop='itemListElement' itemscope itemtype='https://schema.org/ListItem'><a href='https://www.ajinomoto.com' class='p-breadcrumbs__link' itemprop='item'><span itemprop='name'>Home</span></a><meta itemprop='position' content='1' /></li><li class='p-breadcrumbs__item' itemprop='itemListElement' itemscope itemtype='https://schema.org/ListItem'><a href='https://www.ajinomoto.com/aboutus' class='p-breadcrumbs__link' itemprop='item'><span itemprop='name'>About the Ajinomoto Group</span></a><meta itemprop='position' content='2' /></li><li class='p-breadcrumbs__item' itemprop='itemListElement' itemscope itemtype='https://schema.org/ListItem'><span class='p-breadcrumbs__link' itemprop='name'>History</span><meta itemprop='position' content='3' /></li></ul></nav> <section class="c-heading-01 container u-al--center"> <h1 class="c-heading-01__title">History</h1> </section> <div class="aboutus-nav-wrapper aboutus-section"> <nav class="aboutus-nav container"> <div class="u-width-100"><a href="/aboutus" class="c-link--prev"><span class="aboutus-nav__item__label">About the Ajinomoto Group</span></a></div> <a href="/aboutus/ceo-message" class="aboutus-nav__item "><span class="aboutus-nav__item__label">CEO Message</span></a> <a href="/aboutus/asv_concept" class="aboutus-nav__item "><span class="aboutus-nav__item__label">What is ASV?</span></a> <a href="/aboutus/at_a_glance" class="aboutus-nav__item "><span class="aboutus-nav__item__label">By the Numbers</span></a> <a href="/aboutus/outcome" class="aboutus-nav__item "><span class="aboutus-nav__item__label">Realizing Our Outcomes</span></a> <a href="/aboutus/innovation" class="aboutus-nav__item "><span class="aboutus-nav__item__label">Four Growth Areas</span></a> <a href="/aboutus/group" class="aboutus-nav__item "><span class="aboutus-nav__item__label">Our Thinking</span></a> <a href="/aboutus/overview" class="aboutus-nav__item "><span class="aboutus-nav__item__label">Company Overview</span></a> <a href="/aboutus/officers" class="aboutus-nav__item "><span class="aboutus-nav__item__label">Officers</span></a> <a href="/aboutus/global_network" class="aboutus-nav__item "><span class="aboutus-nav__item__label">Global Network</span></a> <a href="/aboutus/history" class="aboutus-nav__item is-current"><span class="aboutus-nav__item__label">History</span></a> <a href="/aboutus/what-is-aminoscience" class="aboutus-nav__item "><span class="aboutus-nav__item__label">What is “Amino<span class="u-dp--ib">Science”?</span></span></a> <a href="/aboutus/what-the-ajinomoto-group-will-be-in-2030" class="aboutus-nav__item "><span class="aboutus-nav__item__label">Picture of the 2030</span></a> </nav> </div> <div class="container--narrow"> <h2 class="c-heading-02" id="cf_block_0_cf_heading_txt">Eat Well, Live Well.</h2> <div class="row"> <div class="col-24 "> <div class="c-media-block"> <figure class="c-media-block__figure " role="group"> <img src="https://www.ajinomoto.com/cms_wp_ajnmt_global/wp-content/uploads/page/jpg/history_01.jpg" width="1696" height="700" alt="" loading="lazy" /> </figure> </div> </div> </div> <h3 class="c-heading-03" id="cf_block_2_cf_heading_txt">Dr. Kikunae Ikeda Discovers Umami in 1908</h3> <div class="section"> <div class="p-txtblck "> <figure class="p-txtblck__fig p-txtblck__fig--right "> <img class="p-txtblck__fig__img" src="https://www.ajinomoto.com/cms_wp_ajnmt_global/wp-content/uploads/page/jpg/history_02.jpg" alt=""> <figcaption class="p-txtblck__fig__caption">The glutamic acid extracted from kombu by Dr. Kikunae Ikeda (1908)</figcaption> </figure> <div class="p-txtblck__body"> <div class="c-text"><p>Our journey of discovery began with a bowl of boiled tofu in kombu dashi (a broth made from a kind of kelp.) While savoring the broth, Dr. Ikeda became convinced that there was another basic taste altogether different from sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. Intrigued by this thought, he began analyzing the composition of kombu dashi. Around the same time, Hiizu Miyake, Japan’s first doctor of medicine, hypothesized that good taste stimulates digestion. Encouraged by this idea, Dr. Ikeda redoubled his efforts. He ultimately discovered what gave kombu its distinctive taste: It was glutamic acid, a type of amino acid. He named the taste umami, and developed a method to produce seasoning with glutamate as its key component.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div>  <h3 class="c-heading-03" id="cf_block_4_cf_heading_txt">Improved nutrition for the Japanese people</h3> <div class="section"> <div class="p-txtblck "> <figure class="p-txtblck__fig p-txtblck__fig--left "> <img class="p-txtblck__fig__img" src="https://www.ajinomoto.com/cms_wp_ajnmt_global/wp-content/uploads/page/jpg/history_03.jpg" alt=""> <figcaption class="p-txtblck__fig__caption">The original AJI-NO-MOTO® (1909)</figcaption> </figure> <div class="p-txtblck__body"> <div class="c-text"><p>Dr. Ikeda went to study in Germany in 1899. The physiques and overall good health of the Germans impressed him and fostered a strong desire to improve the nutrition of the Japanese people. Another individual who shared this dream was Saburosuke Suzuki II. In 1909, he launched a business venture to begin selling AJI-NO-MOTO®, the world’s first umami seasoning. The origins of the Ajinomoto Group lie in this ideal: “Eat Well, Live Well.”</p> </div> </div> </div> </div>  <h3 class="c-heading-03" id="cf_block_6_cf_heading_txt">Eat Well, Live Well.</h3> <div class="section"> <div class="p-txtblck "> <figure class="p-txtblck__fig p-txtblck__fig--right "> <img class="p-txtblck__fig__img" src="https://www.ajinomoto.com/cms_wp_ajnmt_global/wp-content/uploads/page/jpg/history_04.jpg" alt=""> <figcaption class="p-txtblck__fig__caption">Dr. Ikeda's research notes (1918–1929)</figcaption> </figure> <div class="p-txtblck__body"> <div class="c-text"><p>In 2000, researchers at the University of Miami reported the presence of umami receptors on the tongue. Six years later, Ajinomoto’s Institute of Life Sciences discovered that similar receptors were also present in the stomach. The importance of glutamate—not only to our sense of taste but also for nutritional and physiological well-being—is being demonstrated more and more through our recent research. Our corporate slogan, “Eat Well, Live Well.” is actually an ideal that has been scientifically proven.</p> <p>Today, the<span class="ui-provider a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z ab ac ae af ag ah ai aj ak" dir="ltr"> Ajinomoto Group continues contributing to society by exploring the potential of amino acids in every aspect of life.</span></p> </div> </div> </div> </div>  <div class="row"> <div class="col-24 "> <div class="c-media-block"> <figure class="c-media-block__figure video" role="group"> <div style="max-width: 960px;"><video-js data-account="6050660078001" data-player="default" data-embed="default" controls="" data-video-id="6093579991001" data-playlist-id="" data-application-id="" class="vjs-fluid"></video-js></div><script src="https://players.brightcove.net/6050660078001/default_default/index.min.js"></script> </figure> <p class="c-media-block__caption">AMBITION - Umami discovery history</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="c-button-wrap"> <a class="c-button" href="https://www.ajinomoto.com/aboutus/history/the-ajinomoto-group-fy2009-2019" target="_self" rel="">The Ajinomoto Group FY2009–2019</a></div><div class="c-button-wrap"> <a class="c-button" href="https://www.ajinomoto.com/aboutus/history/ajinomoto-group-history" target="_self" rel="">A Timeline of Our History</a></div> </div>    <div class="aboutus-nav-wrapper aboutus-section is-bottom"> <h2 class="aboutus-heading-middle u-al--center">About the Ajinomoto Group</h2> <nav class="aboutus-nav container"> <div class="u-width-100"><a href="/aboutus" class="c-link--prev"><span class="aboutus-nav__item__label">About the Ajinomoto Group</span></a></div> <a href="/aboutus/ceo-message" class="aboutus-nav__item "><span class="aboutus-nav__item__label">CEO Message</span></a> <a href="/aboutus/asv_concept" class="aboutus-nav__item "><span class="aboutus-nav__item__label">What is ASV?</span></a> <a href="/aboutus/at_a_glance" class="aboutus-nav__item "><span class="aboutus-nav__item__label">By the Numbers</span></a> <a href="/aboutus/outcome" class="aboutus-nav__item "><span class="aboutus-nav__item__label">Realizing Our Outcomes</span></a> <a href="/aboutus/innovation" class="aboutus-nav__item "><span class="aboutus-nav__item__label">Four Growth Areas</span></a> <a href="/aboutus/group" class="aboutus-nav__item "><span class="aboutus-nav__item__label">Our Thinking</span></a> <a href="/aboutus/overview" class="aboutus-nav__item "><span class="aboutus-nav__item__label">Company Overview</span></a> <a href="/aboutus/officers" class="aboutus-nav__item "><span class="aboutus-nav__item__label">Officers</span></a> <a href="/aboutus/global_network" class="aboutus-nav__item "><span class="aboutus-nav__item__label">Global Network</span></a> <a href="/aboutus/history" class="aboutus-nav__item is-current"><span class="aboutus-nav__item__label">History</span></a> <a href="/aboutus/what-is-aminoscience" class="aboutus-nav__item "><span 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