The Ajinomoto Renaissance

The Dawn of Umami Seasonings

A hundred years ago, Professor Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo Imperial University discovered that glutamate was the key to the taste of Japanese soup stock, dashi. He named this taste umami.

Road to Umami Discovery.
‘Therefore, physiologists and psychologists recognize only the four tastes, sour, sweet, salty and bitter. Other tastes are considered to be a mixture of these taste. However, I believe that there is at least one other additional taste which is quite distinct from those four tastes. It is the unique taste which we feel as ‘tasty (umai)’, arising from fish, meat and so forth. The taste is most noticeable in soup stock prepared from dried bonito and seaweed (Laminaria japonica): Kombu. - text partly omitted - There can be little doubt that another taste exists in addition to the four tastes. I propose to call this taste ‘UMAMI’ for convenience.’

In 1908, a professor of the Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Tokyo Imperial University (at present, The University of Tokyo), Dr. Kikunae Ikeda, after much research finally identified that glutamate was the key component of the taste of Japanese soup stock made from seaweed called Kombu. This discovery was patented by Dr. Ikeda himself, and for this discovery he was selected as one of Japan’s 10 great inventors by the Japan Patent Office.

The Dawn of Umami Seasonings

Achievement of Dr. Kikunae Ikeda

The History of The Production Method

The Story Behind AJI-NO-MOTO®