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Ajinomoto, Hasegawa partner

Ajinomoto and Hasegawa have reached an agreement on a business alliance regarding research, development and commercialisation of natural flavours using biotechnologies and fermentation technologies. Ajinomoto will acquire 900,000 shares (2.11%) of treasury stock of Hasegawa at a cost of approximately JPY1.6 billion. For more than a century, Ajinomoto said that it has been pursuing “deliciousness” […]

Ajinomoto and Hasegawa have reached an agreement on a business alliance regarding research, development and commercialisation of natural flavours using biotechnologies and fermentation technologies. Ajinomoto will acquire 900,000 shares (2.11%) of treasury stock of Hasegawa at a cost of approximately JPY1.6 billion.

For more than a century, Ajinomoto said that it has been pursuing “deliciousness” through taste and food texture technologies. The “deliciousness” of food is determined not by its taste and texture alone, but also by the flavours that enhance these characteristics, the company believes. Through a business alliance with flavour company Hasegawa, Ajinomoto says it will develop more substantive technologies to freely control “deliciousness” with the aim of providing the comprehensive value of “deliciousness” to meet the needs of customers in every country.

Ajinomoto notes that the global flavours market is worth approximately JPY1.4 trillion, and continues to grow steadily. Within this market, it says the natural flavours category has grown notably in recent years, backed by a consumer trend toward natural beverages and foods, and high growth is expected to continue. Legal regulations in Europe and the United States define natural flavours as products extracted from or created through fermentation of natural materials, the company points out. Extraction is currently the most commonly used method, but Ajinomoto claims it has issues of securing raw materials and cost. Consequently, methods using fermentation have been attracting attention in recent years.

With a declared commitment to building on a solid foundation of technology, Hasegawa focuses on solutions-oriented sales, in which its R&D and sales divisions act in coordination to resolve customer issues, primarily with high-quality, high-value-added compound flavours and fragrances based on its original technologies. Ajinomoto has origina biotechnologies and fermentation technologies that it has accumulated through the development and production of amino acids. In addition, with bases in 26 countries and regions, it conducts various businesses including foods, amino acids and pharmaceuticals, and Ajinomoto products are sold in more than 130 countries and regions.

The business domains of Hasegawa and Ajinomoto are mutually complementary, according to Ajinomoto. The companies will combine Hasegawa’s flavour refining and formulation technologies with Ajinomoto’s biotechnologies and fermentation technologies and utilise the business foundations of both companies to accelerate research, development and commercialisation of fermentation-derived natural flavours.