100 Year LegacY of InnovatIon

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Although only recently accepted into the international food lexicon, umami, the fifth taste stretches back into the annals of food history. Many popular foods and seasonings evoke the umami taste, although it remained unidentified in a scientific sense.

A fermented or pickled fish sauce called garum, rich in umami taste and char-acteristics, is one of the earliest recorded flavoring agents used in ancient Greece and Rome when Aristotle identified seven basic tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, spicy, astringent and sandy. Chinese records from as early as 1,000 B.C. documented five tastes. Other ancient cultures also record more than four basic tastes.

Apparently the ideas of a different Greek philosopher, Democritus, held greater power than Aristotle’s, as his identification of four basic tastes—sweet, salty, sour and bitter— became the world’s standard for almost 2,500 years. As modern science progressed in the early nineteenth century, giving us a better understanding of the human body with micro-scopic views of the tongue and taste buds, all evidence appeared to confirm the existence of just four different taste receptors.

In 1903 the renowned French chef, Auguste Escoffier, published a cookbook including his original creation, veal stock, suggesting a fifth taste was responsible for the delicious flavor of this culinary masterpiece. But his assertions went no further at that time.

In fact, among culinary treasures to emerge in the last century, perhaps none has had a great-er impact on the global community than umami—so complex it almost defies description, yet so universal it is a wonder its secrets remained hidden for so long. Throughout the world, every culture can identify indigenous sources of umami. Nordic lands have anchovies, cod roe paste and dried fish. In South America and the Caribbean, dried shrimp improve the taste of soups, stews and rice dishes. Tomatoes, another source of umami, are native to Peru and Ecuador.

What was the key that unlocked umami’s secret once and for all? It came in 1908 from yet another culture familiar with savory sensations that formed the backdrop to traditional dishes, as a Tokyo University professor decided to investigate the scientific explanation for the intriguing taste of dashi.

In the

Dashi ingredients from left to right:Kombu (kelp); Katsuobushi (Dried bonito); Niboshi (Small dried fish);Dried Shiitake mushroom; Water

By Jeanne turner

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resIdents of an IsLand nation, the Japanese people resourcefully use the bounty the sea provides to enhance and enrich their cuisine. Not only do cer-tain foods and ingredients play a role in the daily diet, they also have such an ancient heritage that they are interwoven into the history of Japanese culture. The best ex-ample of this is dashi, a carefully prepared stock that forms the basis for multiple

dishes within Japanese cuisine. Dashi is a deceptively simple stock cre-

ated using carefully dried and prepared in-gredients. Dashi relies upon the combina-tion of kombu, or dried kelp seaweed, and katsuobushi, or dried bonito flakes, mixed with other ingredients as distinctive as the chef who prepares his or her own unique variety. The kombu and katsuobushi are carefully selected, aged and dried.

Whereas a Western bouillon might simmer any number of fresh ingredients for hours in a reduction, the dried dashi ingredients are soaked in water or heated only briefly to extract the bare essence of flavor. Steeping the ingredients in hot water allows the amino acids to infuse the broth, as amino acids are the basis of the stock’s unique taste. This taste is so rich and

distinctive that a good dashi helps reduce the need for salt and oil and helps create healthier nutritional profiles.

Seasonality also plays an important role in Japanese culture and cuisine. The garnishes selected, the food presentation, even the dishes chosen to serve the food are selected for their seasonal suitability, and food or ingredients used in their proper season are said to be in “shun.” This focus

on seasonality portrays the link between nature and food that is deeply ingrained within Japanese cooking. Dashi might serve as the basis for various popular dishes eaten in season, with winter dishes such as Pork and Miso Soup (Tonjiru) or Simmered Daikon Radish; or summer dishes such as Grilled eggplant in dashi, or Somen, a wheat noodle served with dipping sauce.

In 1908, Professor Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo Imperial University drilled down to the bare essence of dashi’s ingredients and identified a taste that could not be explained by any of the four traditional tastes—sweet, salty, sour, bitter—or any combination of the four. Dr. Ikeda’s investi-gations led him to L-glutamate, the source of this taste, and he named the taste itself “umami.” In fact, kombu, the dried kelp

seaweed that helps lend dashi its distinc-tive umami profile, has the highest natural levels of glutamate in the world.

Umami can be described as the savory taste imparted by glutamate and five ribonucleotides, including inosinate and guanylate, identified in 1913 and 1957 respectively, which occur naturally in many foods, including meat, fish, certain vegetables and dairy products. Another nucleotide, adenylate, identified in the 1960s, is abundant in fish and shellfish.

While the Japanese have enjoyed the benefits of umami in their cuisine for cen-turies, the Western world only recently em-braced the concept of umami. Professional chefs in the West now experiment with the types of ingredients that give the distinctive umami signature to a prepared meal.

Further research in the 1980s solidi-fied umami’s acceptance as the fifth taste in the international lexicon. Umami acts synergistically with other flavors to enhance and amplify their effect, to bring out the full boldness and richness of the entire formulation for a heightened gastronomic experience.

In addition to its role as a palate pleaser, umami is beneficial for human survival in the most primal sense. Each of the five tastes recognized by the human body has a special role to play. Historically, the tastes either encourage us to pursue the proper nourishment for survival or warn us away from harmful foods. For example, we desire sweet foods to help maintain enough calories in our body and salty foods to help us maintain a proper mineral

The Root of Umami Discovery

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balance. Many sour or bitter foods were poisonous or dangerous to humans, so those two tastes acted as a warning.

Our preference for and delight in foods with umami taste helps us ensure we consume the proper amount of amino acids for our bodily needs, which include, among many other functions, the right amount and type of proteins to help rebuild muscle tissue after exertion or exercise.

But if you talk to chefs or other experts, they say a key characteristic of umami is to make your mouth water. Closely associated with foods in season that are ripened or matured, umami is a taste that reaches its best potential through foods served at the peak of matu-rity to help promote good health. As foods ripen or mature, the amino acid content increases, enhancing the umami effect.

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Thai Salad

Atsukezuri, Katsuobushi shavings

lutamate, otherwise known as L-glutamate or monosodium glutamate (MSG), identified as the key amino acid responsible for umami flavor, is not exclusive to kombu. It is also common in Western ingredients with savory flavor, such as Parmesan cheese, asparagus, tomatoes, meat and anchovies (which NPR science writer Jonah Lehrer termed “glutamate speedballs”). Upon further investigation, research confirmed that these foods could also be included under the description of umami with respect

to their amino acid profile. This could be one reason why, once Western chefs grasped the implications of umami, it took the culinary world by storm—it was always present

yet unidentified; once acknowledged, it allowed for discovery of savory food cat-egories containing the essence of umami that could enhance fine cuisine.

Just as with the other four basic tastes, the tongue has taste receptors that are tuned into umami. Scientific studies in recent years have also shown that the stomach contains glutamate receptors, and that the amino acid glutamate plays an important role in food digestion.

Molecular gastronomy examines the link between the physical and chemical processes that occur during cooking and is becoming a focus of attention among chefs, researchers and food writers world-wide. It connects the scientific explanation for food or ingredient behavior with the social, artistic and technical components of culinary processes. Some examples of the types of issues examined via molecular gastronomy might include the study of how various ingredients change depen-dent upon different cooking methods, and investigation into the question:

Can we devise new cooking methods that produce unusual and improved results of texture and flavor?

As science continues to join forces with the culinary arts, Ajinomoto Company Inc. is committed to assisting with the development of healthier foods enhanced with umami-based ingredients, to not only help create better tasting food but to help develop a healthier population as well.

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When Science Meets Culinary Arts

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1908 dr. Kikunae Ikeda obtains patent to produce L-glutamate

as the source of ‘umami.’

1909aji-no-moto, the product, is launched as umami seasoning based on glutamate.

1956ajinomoto U.s.a., Inc., formally established

1956ajinomoto do Brazil Industria e comercio, s.a established

1962ajinomoto concludes tie-up with Kellogg company

1963ajinomoto concludes tie-up with cPc International Inc. (presently Unilever Bestfoods)

1968ajinomoto del Peru s.a. established

1973ajinomoto concludes tie-up with general foods corporation; reincorporated in Japan as ajinomoto general foods, Inc.

amIno acIds, whIch most scientists acknowledge as the building blocks of life, are critical to life and function in a wide variety of ways in multiple indus-tries and within the human body, including activity related to flavoring, nutritional func-tion, physiological well being, and reactivity.

Amino acid-based ingredients provide a wide range of tastes or benefits to foods, such as umami or sweet taste sensations supplied by monosodium glutamate and aspartame

respectively. In this capacity, amino acid-based ingredients help enhance or highlight the natural flavors of other ingredients, foods and seasonings while remaining in the background.

Far from being obscure synthetic sub-stances, amino acids are naturally present

in and essential to the human body. Water accounts for approximately 60% of our body weight, followed by amino acids (proteins), constituting 20%. Amino acids perform vari-ous important functions and make up vital body tissues such as muscles, the gastroin-testinal tract, internal organs, hemoglobin contained in red blood cells, and collagen, the main component of our hair and skin.

Athletes were among the first to discover and use amino acid-based foods and ingre-dients to help rebuild muscle during or after

a workout. Science confirmed that the human body during exercise and recovery utilizes most rapidly pro-teins that have a certain amino acid composition, specifically branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs such as valine, leucine, and isoleucine), which promote the protein synthesis of skeletal muscles.

Despite scientific advances, lately the research community has discovered it has barely scratched the surface of the vast universe of amino acids and proteins that exist within the human body, or their

functions. “We have between 100,000 or more different proteins that make our bodies function properly,” said Jack Heaton, president of Ajinomoto Scientific Group, LLC, Raleigh, N.C. “The genome project

mapped out our DNA genetic make up while the next project is determining the proteome, or the make up of all the proteins that exist in the human body. Scientists suspected there were between 10,000 or 20,000 proteins; now they admit they don’t even know the final number.”

Amino acids play a role in areas as di-verse as seasonings, pharmaceuticals, nutri-tional supplements, cosmetics, fertilizers and livestock feed. Some scientists and humani-tarians believe amino acids hold the key to helping solve the global issue of malnutrition due to inadequate protein intake. Amino acid fortification is a cost-effective, highly bioavailable method of maximizing limited food supplies. Ajinomoto Group also utilizes the nutrient-rich byproduct generated dur-ing amino acid production to convert food supplies into valuable coproducts such as fertilizer or feed, which reduces the waste stream and helps preserve our ecosystem.

Overall, research proves that essential amino acids are necessary for proper bodily function and nutritional balance. The Aji-nomoto Group believes that amino acids hold the key to future development of food, nutritional products and pharmaceuticals. Ajinomoto will continue to be the world’s premier company committed to providing better health, nutrition and quality of life through amino acid creation and utilization.

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The 21st Century – “The Century of Amino Acids”

1974eUroLYsIne s.a. established in france

1974ajinomoto Interamericana Industria e comercio Ltda. established in Brazil

1975nissin-ajinomoto alimentos Ltda. established

1980ajinomoto danone co., Ltd. established (presently calpis ajinomoto danone co., Ltd.)

1981aspartame available for tabletop use

1982ajinomoto opens pharmaceutical-grade L-amino acid manufacturing plant in raleigh, n.c.

1983nutrasweet ag established in switzerland (presently ajinomoto sweeteners europe)

Sweeeeettttt!!!!

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sImILar to BUILdIng BLocKs, which in multiple permutations can create myriad structures, amino acids in various molecular combinations can create an astonishing variety of food ingredients. The same substance that creates the unique savory taste of umami is also responsible, in a different form, for mimicking the unique taste of sugar.

Aspartame is approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar, which means that 200 kg of sugar can be replaced with 1 kg of as-partame. Aspartame has an energy value of 4 calories per gram but, because only min-ute amounts of aspartame are required to provide the equivalent sweetness of sugar, it can reduce a product’s calorie content by up to 99%. It offers excellent solubility and is suitable for most product applications within a certain pH and temperature range. Aspartame is utilized as a stable sweetener in products ranging from homogenized dairy foods to beverages, frozen desserts, confections, baked goods, cereals and fruit preserves. In addition, aspartame can in-tensify and extend fruit flavors in foods and beverages. For example, aspartame makes chewing gum taste sweet up to four times longer than gum sweetened with sugar.

Aspartame does not promote tooth decay and is an FDA-approved, safe sweetening agent, and thus offers special

populations such as diabetics a great deal of variety and flexibility in budgeting total carbohydrate intake without affecting blood sugar. And with an increased focus on obesity within the general population, aspartame can help tame weight manage-ment issues by enabling product develop-ers to create foods with a sweet profile yet reduced calorie count compared to a sugar-sweetened counterpart.

From frozen novelties to hard candies to iced tea, cocoa mixes and carbonated soft drinks, aspartame enhances the eating experience of consumers world-wide without adding to the waistline.

Aspartame is a dipeptide composed of two amino acids: L-aspartic acid and L-phenylalanine. Phenylanine is an essential amino acid, considered essential for proper bodily function and good health. Many com-mon foods, such as meat, cheese, fish, vegetables or fruit, also contain these constituents, and the

human body metabolizes all essential ami-no acids in the same way. When a person consumes aspartame, the body breaks it down into aspartic acid, phenylalanine and a small amount of methanol, identical to that found naturally in pectin-containing food products. The rest of the diet provides much greater quantities of these components than does aspartame.

1983amino-acid based sweetener aspartame introduced to revolution-ize carbonated

soft drinks, other beverages and sugar-free foods.

1984heartland Lysine, Inc. established in the United states (presently ajinomoto heartland LLc)

1986heartland Lysine Inc., eddyville plant commences operations

1993ajinomoto U.s.a., Inc. Iowa msg plant commences operations

1997ajinomoto Biolatina opens valparaiso plant

home-use product line-up (ca. 1990)

the scIentIfIc dIscoverY of glutamate as the basis for umami taste and the foundation of Ajinomoto oc-curred within a year of each other. The first ingredient the company manufactured, Aji-no-moto, umami seasoning based on glutamate, reflects its contribution to the food ingredient marketplace. “Aji-no-moto” is written in three characters in Japanese that literally mean the “essence of taste.” The Ajinomoto Group not only has helped bring heightened flavor to the world, but so much more through its efforts in various industries, based on the amazing proper-ties derived from amino acids.

Just as amino acids are the building blocks for so many unique and diverse products, they also form the platform for Ajinomoto’s future plans. While in the last century dietitians emphasized vitamins and minerals, the next century will be the century of amino acids, according to Norio Yamaguchi, Chairman of the Board for the Ajinomoto Group.

The company has a new slogan to help carry it and its customers forward into its next century of business: ‘Eat Well—Live Well,’ which expresses the link between our eating habits and their related effects

on health. “Instead of having to visit the doctor for a cure, amino

acids can help bring us to the place where the entire focus of medicine shifts from cure to prevention, a true focus on wellness through foods,” says Jack Heaton, President, Ajinomoto Aminoscience.

“When consumers eat well, or eat the right combination of foods for nourish-

ment, they also will live well, or live better, and it is our goal to help them achieve this better balance,” says Yamaguchi.

As part of its corporate mission, Ajino-moto Group is working to help solve some of the enormous challenges facing our planet—adequate food resources, sustain-ability, proper food and nutrition educa-tion, environmental pollution protection and the fight against global warming.

While no effort is less important than another, the focus on food ingredients includes a company growth strategy that is in accordance with ecological principles.

As the global leader in amino acid production and supply to the food chain, the Ajinomoto Group offers irreplaceable value, especially in a world facing huge issues of whether adequate food resources can be secured for all humanity.

Ajinomoto works globally but thinks locally, bringing out the best in regional cuisines and helping food industry profes-sionals create products that reach their fullest potential.

A Look Ahead

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Eat Well—Live Well

2000tecUs (technology & engineering center) established

2000ajinomoto frozen foods U.s.a., Inc., established

2005ajinomoto Interamericana Limeira plant starts production of amino acids for foods and pharmaceuticals

2006ajinomoto Biolatina opens Pederneiras plant (production of feed-use amino acids)

2009ajinomoto company Inc. celebrates 100 years of leadership decoding and using amino acids in food ingredients, pharmaceuticals and other key industries.

how can a food IngredIent have a safety factor greater than GRAS, the “generally recognized as safe” designation from the Food and Drug Administration? When that agency reviews the ingredient’s designation and calls for additional testing by authorized, respected, scientifically sound principles and discovers it is indeed a benign ingredient.

In 1992, the FDA contracted with the Federa-tion of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), an independent group of scientists, to complete the most comprehensive review of available scientific data on glutamate safety to date.

The 1995 FASEB report reaffirmed the safety of MSG when it is consumed at usual levels by the general population and found no evidence of any connection between MSG and any serious, long-term reactions.

In 1991 the European Community’s Scientific Committee for Food confirmed MSG safety. Food Standards Australia conducted a review even more recently in 2002 and concluded that MSG is indeed a safe ingredient. The Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives of the United Nations Food and Agricul-ture Organization and World Health Organization consider MSG one of the safest food additives. And the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition reiterated recently that MSG can be ”regarded as harmless for the whole population.”

If Chinese restaurant syndrome were real, we would hear comments about “steakhouse syndrome” or “Italian seafood restaurant syndrome” as glutamate is a natural part of these delicious dishes. MSG is made up by the natural fermentation of glucose.

MYTH BuSTINgsound scientific evidence refutes the idea that monosodium glutamate (msg) can cause adverse physical reactions in people who eat it.

from a letter in the new england Journal of medicine containing one person’s musings about his experience in a chinese restaurant, society threw science out the window and and culturally fueled suspicion grew, with no basis in fact.

the myth was thoroughly debunked in a 1999 vogue article by Jeffrey steingarten entitled, “why doesn’t everybody in china have a headache?”

glutamate, a naturally occurring amino acid in our bodies, is present in the first food we consume as babies. human breast milk contains large amounts of glutamate at a level ten times higher than glutamate present in cow’s milk. scientists believe the glutamate acts as a taste enhancer to encourage babies to drink the milk so they can grow.

a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on top of a favorite Italian dish contains 1200 mg of glutamate per 100g serving, giving the food a rich taste experience common to other foods high in natural glutamate levels. the chart below displays common foods naturally rich in glutamate:

Food glutamate (mg/100g)Parmesan cheese 8,210cheddar cheese 6,090walnuts 658fresh tomato 310Beans 880steak > 2,000white mushrooms 400salmon 3,840Broccoli 950

GRAS Plus MSG - the natural flavor enhancer

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jinomoto Food Ingredients, LLC Ajinomoto works continually to make it easier for its North American clients to

incorporate amino acid power into food and beverage formulations. Ajinomoto Food Ingredients, LLC, recently opened its new application center in Chicago,

Illinois, dedicated to supporting formulation development for dry or liquid beverage applications, seasoning blends and protein modification applications.

Ajinomoto also operates a facility in Ames, Iowa dedicated to meat applica-tions and designed to help support the Activa® transglutamanase business.

Ajinomoto’s enzyme capabilities help meat processors make a better profit with beef tenderloin. Typically the tails or narrow ends of the tenderloins are too small to cut filets. By binding two tenderloins, head or thick end to tail or the narrow end, processors will obtain full size filet cuts. “Consumers cannot tell the difference between the filet using Activa and the ones that don’t use the enzyme,” says Brendan Naulty, president of Ajinomoto Food In-gredients, LLC. “The enzyme binds the meat together seamlessly and has no effect on flavor.”

Formerly, due to quick enzyme reaction, that technology was only available for small batch operations. However, by creating a system that has a buffered pH, the enzyme activ-ity is slowed down, enabling its use in large-scale operations.

Enzyme technology is not exclusive to proteins. In a foodservice or deli application, for example, when pasta is kept in a warming tray, Activa can help the pasta maintain its al dente texture for hours. In the dairy industry, Activa enzyme technology can trim costs while improving quality in cheese, cream cheese and yogurt products. The enzyme addition allows for greater water-binding by cross-linking amino acids within the dairy protein. This helps maintain texture in string cheese or lends a clean ‘bite’ to pizza cheese.

“Our team members and facilities in the U.S. stand ready to help food manufacturers operate with the utmost efficiency while improving product quality and presentation,” said Naulty. “We’re here to serve our customers in North America by applying a combination of a century’s worth of tradition, reputation for quality, and exciting new developments in amino acid technology to applications for today’s marketplace.”

Ajinomoto AminoScience, LLCAjinomoto AminoScience, LLC, in Raleigh, N.C., operates within four major market segments. Overall, its purified amino acids help improve life, with a business model that focuses on purity, consistency and quality.

Out of the twenty amino acids the company manufactures, nine are produced in the Raleigh facility. It is the only U.S.-based manufacturer of pharmaceutical grade amino acids (cGMP), supplying much of the world’s supply of amino acids for pharmaceuti-cal purposes. Primarily used for nutritional therapy, they supply nourishment that goes directly into the bloodstream or serve as raw materials for producing therapeutic proteins, antibodies or vaccines via cell culture. Fifty years ago Ajinomoto was a pioneer in supply-ing pharmaceutical grade amino acids to these key markets.

Other important markets include the nutritional industry, or amino acids for improv-ing wellness, and the food industry, for infant formula, functional foods or functional food additives. A recent company focus is the beverage segment, according to Jack Heaton, company president.

Ajinomoto AminoScience has petitioned for GRAS (generally recognized as safe) cer-tification for five of its amino acids. This will allow for broader use of its amino acids for food

Tokyo Based, Global Focus

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FRIED NOODlES THAI STYlEServes 22 cups narrow rice noodles3 cups water1 cup diced firm tofu1 cup prawns, shelled and deveined2 tbsp chopped shallot2 tbsp chopped garlic1 cup bean sprouts2 eggs2 seeded chilies, soaked and

squeezed dry2 tbsp dried shrimp2 tbsp chopped pickled white radish3 tbsp tamarind juice1 tbsp sugar or palm sugar1 tsp soy sauce½ tsp aji-no-moto (monosodium

glutamate) 3 tbsp chopped roasted peanuts¼ cup vegetable oil1/3 cup chinese leek, cut into

one-inch lengths1 lime, cut into 4 pieces

Boil the water, pour it over the rice noodles and leave until the noodles soak up the water.

Pound the chilies, garlic and shal-lot until thoroughly ground.

heat the oil in the wok. fry the chilies, garlic, pickled white radish and shallot until fragrant, then the tofu, dried shrimp and prawn. season with the tamarind juice, sugar, soy sauce and umami seasoning. add the noodles to the wok and stir fry well. to finish, add the bean sprouts, chinese leek and egg. serve with the peanuts and lime.

categories promoting their functional ben-efits. The beverage industry particularly is in constant competition to introduce enticing new flavors and certain amino acids have a basis of flavor either alone or in combination. Amino acids stimulate certain taste recep-tors, sparking interest in their utilization for flavoring. To accommodate this growing interest in use as flavors the company has updated its FEMA GRAS status.

The real excitement lies in the future of amino acids for better health. A variety of studies are underway on the benefits of various amino acids for an expanding range of health benefits. Many scientists believe amino acids are the key to revolutionizing our health care system, shifting the focus from curing illness to preventative care with a dedicated emphasis on wellness.

“Most people today think of vitamins as a staple item that helps replenish the body’s supply of deficient elements in nutrition,” says Heaton. “Amino acids are more basic yet than vitamins. Our DNA tells the body which proteins to synthesize to perform necessary bodily functions. Now we’re studying the metabolome, the metabolism and the proteins that define the way our metabolism works, since everyone’s body functions in a different way. The addition of amino acids into the body has a very real purpose. It can, in fact, aid in wellness—in the same way that people take vitamin C to prevent colds, for example, arginine helps keep blood vessels more flexible and branched-chain amino acids help build skeletal muscle proteins.”

Ajinomoto AminoScience LLC can meet any amino acid need, from initial research to manufacturing, blending and pulverization through storage, labeling and packaging to analytical and technical support.

Ajinomoto Heartland Lysine, LLCAjinomoto Heartland Lysine, Chicago, IL, supplies amino acids for animal nutrition.

Amino acids can replace soybean meal in swine and poultry diets to provide the animals with a more economical and better balanced diet. Produced in the form of a dry powder, three pounds of lysine added to 97 pounds of corn equals 100 pounds of soybean meal, supplying the vital amino acids the livestock requires in its diet, yet at a cost savings to the producer. Additional soybean meal can be replaced by supple-menting more (> 3 lbs) lysine with the second limiting amino acid (threonine).

As an additional benefit, the addition of the amino acid lysine to the animal diet helps lower nitrogen excretion, of concern to both agriculturalists and environmen-talists. For every 1% drop in crude protein (lowering soybean meal), nitrogen excre-tion is reduced by approximately 10%. By utilizing lysine and threonine in animal diets, nitrogen excretion can be lowered by 20-30%. Amino acids increase the utiliza-tion efficiency of the nitrogen in feeds (same animal performance with less con-sumed nitrogen). Adding amino acids to the animal diet is highly beneficial for the animal, the farmer and the environment.

The animal feed grade lysine or amino acid is produced in a U.S. based plant in Eddyville, Iowa. Another amino acid produced there includes threonine. Tryptophan and valine are marketed to the animal industry by Ajinomoto Heartland but produced in France. Feed-use amino acids also help reduce the amount of land needed for grain production, achieving the most economical and efficient use of limited arable land.

For animal feed processors, the lysine and threonine substitution is an easy for-mulation adjustment to ensure the animal receives an amino acid balanced diet. Primary markets include the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Another plant in Brazil supplies amino acids to the animal nutrition markets in South America.

Ajinomoto Food Ingredients llC8430 west Bryn mawr ave. suite 635chicago, IL 60631, Usatel: 773-714-1436fax: 773-714-1431

Ajinomoto AminoScience llC4020 ajinomoto driveraleigh, nc 27610, Usatel: 919-325-1400fax: 919-325-1420

Ajinomoto Heartland llC8430 w. Bryn mawr ave. suite 650chicago, IL 60631, Usatel: + 1 773 380 7000fax: + 1 773 380 7006

Ajinomoto Co. Inc.european headquarters153 rue de courcelles75817 Paris cedex 17francetel: 33-(1) 47-66-98-63fax: 33-(1) 47-66-98-56

tokyo headquarterstel: +81-3-5250-8111

Ajinomoto Interamericana Indústria e Comércio ltda.rue Joaquim tavora 541 villa marianasao Paulo, sP – 04015-901Braziltel: 55-(11) 5080 6742fax: 55-(11) 5080 6739

Ajinomoto group Philosophy:

Our philosophy is to contribute significant advances in Food and Health on a global basis

and ultimately to create a better life for all.