Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (味の素株式会社, Ajinomoto kabushiki gaisha) is a Japanese multinational food and biotechnology corporation which produces seasonings, interlayer insulating materials for semiconductor packages for use in personal computers, cooking oils, frozen foods, beverages, sweeteners, amino acids, and pharmaceuticals.

Aji-No-Moto (味の素, "essence of taste") is the trade name for the company's original monosodium glutamate (MSG) product, the first of its kind, since 1909.

Ajinomoto was created to let Ikeda, a professor at Tokyo Imperial University, sell monosodium glutamate (MSG) seasoning made from wheat that he invented and patented.

[5] Ajinomoto primarily marketed the seasoning to housewives by using their trademark, a housewife in an apron, in newspaper advertisements, on signboards, and on-ground stamps.

[6]: 1914  Japan's improved economy after World War I resulted in output hitting 84.6 tons and sales reaching 1,563,000 yen in 1918.

[5][6][failed verification] The company opened new offices in Singapore and Hong Kong in 1927 and in Taiwan in 1929 to distribute its product throughout Southeast Asia.

Because of these partnerships, Ajinomoto began selling Kellogg's corn flakes and Knorr soup in Japan and created its own brand of mayonnaise.

[5] During this time period, Ajinomoto modified AJI-NO-MOTO's recipe by using amino acids from sugar cane instead of soybeans, which allowed the seasoning to be produced locally in the countries it was exported to, which reduced shipping costs for the company.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the company developed feed-use amino acids, pharmaceuticals such as enteral nutrients, and specialty chemicals like surfactants.

Starting in 1980, Ajinomoto began to refocus its diversification efforts from food products to its amino acid business.

In January 2006, Ajinomoto bought the cooking sauce and condiments manufacturer Amoy Food from the French dairy company Groupe Danone.

[18] In April 2016, Ajinomoto merged its pharmaceutical division with Eisai, launching EA Pharma [ja] in Japan.

[24] In November 2020, "AJISWEET RA", produced in Japan cooperating with Morita Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd., was newly launched to the USA as stevia sweetener reducing bitterness and off-flavors.

[29] Ajinomoto Co., Inc. has planned and resolved the MediumTerm ASV Management 2030 Roadmap at its Board of Directors Meeting of February 28, 2023.

[30] In May 2023, Ajinomoto signed a letter of intent for a strategic alliance with Solar Foods, a company that developed Solein, a microbial protein feeding on CO2 as a nutrient source, and obtained a marketing license in Singapore.

[32] In February 2024, Ajinomoto was selected by CDP, an international environmental not-for-profit charity, for its "Climate Change A-List" for fiscal 2023.

[citation needed] Ajinomoto also sells soup, mayonnaise, porridge, pasta sauce, and instant noodles under the "VONO" brand name.

[citation needed] The Ajinomoto Group's healthcare business is based on using the fermentation technology of amino acids.

Currently, Ajinomoto manufactures around twenty kinds of amino acids at various factories overseas, including plants in Japan, the United States, Europe, and India.

[60][61] In addition to glutamates as a seasoning, the company also produces other amino acids such as L-Leucine, L-Tyrosine, Glycine, and L-Phenylalanine,[62] which it markets as dietary supplements under the brand name AjiPure.

Along with Kyowa Hakko Kogyo and Sewon America, Inc., Ajinomoto admitted to price fixing and settled with the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division in September 1996.

Their cooperation led to Archer Daniels Midland settling charges with the US government in October 1996 for $100 million, a record antitrust fine at the time.

[73] In early 2001, Ajinomoto was involved in an incident in Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim country, when it was revealed that a pork-based enzyme had been used in its MSG production.

[74] Immediately after the incident, the Food and Drug Administration of the Indonesian government stepped up to announce that Ajinomoto's end product did not contain pig-derived substances.

[75] In June 2010, an appeal court reversed the decision, allowing Ajinomoto to pursue a case against Asda to protect the reputation of its aspartame.