marc newson: ajinomoto bottle

japanese company ajinomoto unveiled ajinomoto marc bottle designed by marc newson celebrating the 100th anniversary of ajinomoto seasoning.

japanese sweetener and seasonings giant ajinomoto claims a leading position in the global market for aspartame, which experts valued at some 637 USD million last year. aspartame, which has been permitted in foods and beverages in both the eu and the US since the early 1980s, has nonetheless been the subject of suspicion over safety.

the literal translation of aji no moto is ‘essence of taste,’ used as a trademark for the company’s monosodium glutamate (msg). as of feb 2009, ajinomoto produces around 33% of the world’s msg. until the discovery of umami, there were thought to be four basic tastes—sweet, sour, salty, and bitter; now, umami is recognized as the fifth. each of the basic tastes is unique and cannot be reproduced by combining any of the other four.

the company operates in five business segments. the domestic food segment offers processed food, seasonings, edible oil products, beverages and frozen food products. the overseas food segment offers processed food and seasonings. the amino acid segment offers sweetener for processing, functional nutritional foods, seasoning, medical intermediate products, fine chemicals, as well as amino acids for food, medical and fodder products. the medical segment offers medical products and medical food products. the others segment is engaged in the provision over packaging, logistics and other services. the company has 133 subsidiaries and 20 associated companies.

marc newson photo © jan buus

via dezain