Despite being the inventor of monosodium glutamate, or MSG, Ajinomoto Co., Japan's largest seasonings maker, is little known in the United States. But its amino acid business has been gaining ground in the growing U.S. market in recent years.
"Most Americans don't have the slightest idea who we are. Many of them think Ajinomoto is a car company," said Yuichiro Nakajima, general manager of the "nutraceuticals" division of Ajinomoto U.S.A. Inc. based in New York.
In Japan, Ajinomoto left its food-based brand image behind around 2001 when the so-called amino acid boom swept the country, with all kinds of beverages containing amino acids attracting health-conscious consumers.