1.

0 INTRODUCTION

AJI-NO-MOTO was discovered when a Japanese scientist, Professor Kikunae Ikeda

identified glutamate as the source of the flavourful taste of a broth made from seaweed in 1908.
He named the taste as Umami. Professor Ikeda then learnt to isolate the glutamate and produce a
kind of flavor enhancer, Monosodium Glutamate (MSG). MSG under the brand name of AJINO-MOTO was fierst marketed in Japan in 1909 as the Umami Seasoning.
Glutamate is an amino acid in protein which can be found in most natural foods including
human breast milk. Human body also contains glutamate. It is the key component of
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) with the unique function of providing the savoury Umami taste.

Ajinomoto is the trade name for monosodium glutamate or MSG. Monosodium glutamate
is made from the mixing of glutamate with water and salt. Glutamate is glutamic acid that is
broken down through cooking, fermentation, or other processes. Glutamic acid is one of the nonessential amino acids making up protein molecules. Asian cooks had been tapping into the flavor
enhancing properties of glutamate for many centuries before MSG was isolated. It is not clear
whether it was the Japanese or the Chinese who first discovered that a broth made from certain
types of seaweeds could enhance foods natural flavor.

Ajinomoto history can be traced back to the beginning of the 20th century. Research on
seaweed started towards the end of the 19th century, with the production of iodine from seaweed
at a facility in Hayama by Naka Suzuki. In 1907, Nakas son, Saburosuke Suzuki II, established
the S. Suzuki Pharmaceutical Co.

An important milestone in Ajinomoto history is that in 1907, Professor Ikeda, a chemist

at the University of Tokyo, isolated glutamate from a broth of dried Konbu kelp. In July 1908, he
got a patent for monosodium glutamate. Another important milestone in Ajinomoto history is that
two months later, Mr. Suzuki approached Dr. Ikeda and became part owner of the patent.

The additive was given the Ajinomoto trade name and production started at S. Suzuki
Pharmaceutical Co.s Zushi factory in December 1908. S. Suzuki Pharmaceutical Co. was
renamed S. Suzuki and Co. in 1912. The bigger Kawasaki plant was completed in 1914. The
company ventured into New York, its first overseas market, in 1917.
The company got its current name, Ajinomoto Co., Inc., in 1946. The company started
advertising Ajinomoto on TV in 1954. Other important milestones in the Ajinomoto history are
the establishment of subsidiaries all over the world, including India, Nigeria, China, Peru,
Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, and Brazil.

MSG or monosodium glutamate is the best food flavor enhancer. Studies show that MSG
produces a new taste on the taste buds called umami. Americans describe umami as a savory
and meaty taste in food. Before, there were only 5 basic tastes: sweet, sour, spicy, salty and bitter.
Now, umami is the sixth basic taste and is described to be beyond all these.

Because of this savor flavor, different cuisines are also using MSG in their food. In
European cuisine, MSG comes in the form of bouillons. In Chinese cuisine, MSG is present in
oyster sauces. In Southeast Asian cuisine, MSG is found in fish sauce and soy sauce. In Italian
cuisine, MSG is a staple in chowders. In American cuisine, stews always use MSG to enhance
the meaty flavor.
Today, every food you are eating might have MSG already but food makers make sure
that consumers consume only the right amount of MSG a day. A person consumes 10 grams of
bound glutamate to a gram of free glutamate every day. Aside from this, the human body creates
50 grams of free glutamate.

2.0 SAFETY AND HEALTH

Safety Affirmed by Science
MSG is one of the food ingredients reviewed extensively by the international scientific
organisations in the past 40 years. Some of the comprehensive safety evaluations on MSG by
the international scientific regulartory bodies :
1) Malaysia 1985 Food Act & Regulation
MSG is recognized as the general food seasoning just like salt and pepper
2) The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) evaluation
as commissioned by the U.S. Food And Drug Administration (USFDA)
MSG is classified under Generally Recognised As Safe (GRAS) category
3) United Nations Joint [Food And Agriculture Organisation (FAO) / World Health
Organisation (WHO)] Expert Committee on Food Additive (JECFA)
4) European Communities Scientific Committee for Food
MSG is safe. The Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for MSG to be Not
Specified
5) American Medical Associations Council on Scientific Affairs
MSG is safe.

HOW HARMFUL IS AJINOMOTO?

FDA considers the addition of MSG to foods generally recognised as safe (GRAS).
Although many people identify themselves as sensitive to MSG, in studies with such individuals
given MSG or a placebo, scientists have not been able to consistently trigger reactions. MSG
also occurs naturally in many foods, such as tomatoes and cheeses. People around the world have
eaten glutamate-rich food throughout history.
Over the years, the FDA has received reports from consumers of symptoms such as
headache and nausea after eating food containing MSG. It could not, however, confirm that
presence of MSG caused the reported effects.
The FASEB report concluded that MSG is safe. FASEB report identified some shortterm, transient and generally mild symptoms in a few sensitive individuals who consumed 3 gm
or more of MSG without food. However, a typical serving of food with added MSG contains less
than 0.5 gm. Consuming more than 3 gm of MSG without food at one time is unlikely.

MSG causes hair loss?

There is no scientific evidence for this claim. Hair loss problem may be caused by
several factors namely genetics, stress, changes of hormones, structural hair defects and
medication.

MSG causes thirst?

There is no specific evidence for the claim. Thirst is related to the body fluid control of
sodium in our body. Thirst appears after severe loss of blood, sweat during a very
strenuous exercise or a high sodium intake. It is the need for a large amount of water and
it takes time to happen. Although MSG contains sodium, the sodium content of MSG is
only 12% compared to table salt which contain 40% sodium. Besides, the amount of
MSG used for cooking can be far less than table salt. Thus, the thirst-response to MSG if
any should be far less than table salt.

MSG is a chemical?
MSG is produced from natural ingredients such as tapioca or sugar cane through
fermentation, a process used in making tapai , soy sauce, vinegar and yogurt.

MSG causes migraine?

The exact cause of migraine is not fully understood. There are many theories about the
causes such as heredity, neurological brain disorder etc.

3.0 HYGIENE AND SANITATION

3.1 Factory Hygiene
Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Berhads reputation counts upon the safety and quality of
product, and people. Ajinomoto Berhads take health and safety into serious account
with emphasis goes to food safety, community health as well as a safe working
environment.To comply with food safety qualities, seminars on Food Safety
Management System had successfully drawn expertise of the Company to excel to the
next level. Also in the arrangement pipeline was the Food Handling Training which
provides extensive knowledge for all related staff to know more about hygienic food
preparation.
On the other hand, safety precautions were listed as one of the main concerns as
well. Safety guidelines to cultivate a worry-free working environment are of
Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Berhads utmost concern. Several workshops were designed
and arranged throughout the year to equip staff with sufficient knowledge on safety
guidelines. During the workshops, topics were raised to discuss on accident
prevention, work safety awareness, as well relevant First Aid treatments to cope every
emergency. In order to further enhance precaution and upkeep awareness, Ajinomoto
(Malaysia) Berhad also participated in the OSH Conference 2014 which was
organised by Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers for the good cause of
occupational safety and health to prevent serious injuries at the workplace.

3.2 Personnel Hygiene

Everyone in a company plays a crucial part to make every success a real
achievement. That is how Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Berhad values personal growth.
In order to assure personal growth that expedites companys success, numerous
trainings were conducted. On-boarding Programme had been conducted to facilitate
newcomers with adequate knowledge of company philosophy as well as codes of
ethics. This is to ensure every member under the same roof adapted to corporate
culture. On the contrary, Sales Mastery Trainings were given to the sales personnel of
the Company to further develop their sales skill with motivation for a stronger market
penetration.
Besides that, Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Berhad also organised Specialty Culinary
Training for our Internal Culinary Committees as part of the initiatives instilled in the
Internal Ambassador Development Programme. Selected participants were trained to
pick up or sharpen their cooking skills to become culinary experts who are
knowledgeable in Ajinomoto Products applications and able to prepare tantalising
food with the skill of recipe standardisation and portion-cost calculation.
Being the top management of the company, skills to understand staff and the public in
depth is fundamentally crucial in order to facilitate effective communication for
smooth corporate governance which leads to constant corporate success. Thus,
training was arranged for all the directors in which they learned the way to read nonverbal gestures, to detect deception and analyse truth.
To further promote accountability in corporate governance, Fraud Prevention
Talks were arranged at companywide for all staff in order to shape their intellectual
knowledge to avoid misconducts which result in fraud incident. Aimed at creating
awareness to address fraud issues, participants were exposed to extensive prevention
procedures.

4.0

PLANT LAYOUT, DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

1909 INFOSEUM

Akashi Kikai Industry Malaysia factory in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Akashi Kikai Industry (M) Sdn. Bhd. in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

The advanced waste water treatment system with Japan microorganism technology of
Ajinomoto Vietnam Factory.

Treated wastewater meets level A before releasing back into environment.

5.0 WASTE MANAGEMENT

The Ajinomoto Group is working to minimize waste to ensure optimal use of all
resources. The Group is also committed to effectively utilizing waste and by-products, with
the aim of recovering 99% of it as resources. In amino acid production, the Group utilizes byproducts as resources and seeks to improve production efficiency by introducing new
technologies. In food production, it is also making a range of efforts, such as improving the
precision of sales forecasts and conducting fine-tuned procurement, to minimize wasted raw
materials and the amount of packaging materials used.
In the 20112013 AjinomotoGroup Zero Emissions Plan(AGZEP), new target values
have been established for waste per unit of production for the entire Group. The aim is to
reduce waste as much as possible in production activities group-wide. The effort includes
waste generated by all operations, including production and non-production sites. The base
year for these targets is fiscal 2006, when detailed waste data was first gathered worldwide.

7.0 APPENDIX