Whois & Analysis for ajinomoto.com

is a Japanese food and chemical corporation which produces seasonings, cooking oils, TV dinners, sweeteners, amino acids, and pharmaceuticals.

In particular it is the world's largest producer of aspartame, with a 40% global market share.

25 October 2000.

Fine chemicals are complex, single, pure chemical substances, produced in limited quantities in multipurpose plants by multistep batch chemical or biotechnological processes.

They are described by exacting specifications, used for further processing within the chemical industry and sold for more than $10/kg (see the comparison of fine chemicals, commodities and specialties).

The class of fine chemicals is subdivided either on the basis of the added value (building blocks, advanced intermediates or active ingredients), or the type of business transaction, namely standard or exclusive products.

Biotechnology is the use of living systems and organisms to develop or make products, or "any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use" (UN Convention on Biological Diversity, Art.

2).

Depending on the tools and applications, it often overlaps with the (related) fields of bioengineering, biomedical engineering, biomanufacturing, molecular engineering, etc.

Amino acids are organic compounds containing amine (NH2) and carboxyl (COOH) functional groups, along with a side chain (R group) specific to each amino acid.

The key elements of an amino acid are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, though other elements are found in the side chains of certain amino acids.

About 500 amino acids are known (though only 20 appear in the genetic code) and can be classified in many ways.

They can be classified according to the core structural functional groups' locations as alpha- (α), beta- (β), gamma- (γ) or delta- (δ) amino acids; other categories relate to polarity, pH level, and side chain group type (aliphatic, acyclic, aromatic, containing hydroxyl or sulfur, etc).

In the form of proteins, amino acids comprise the second-largest component (water is the largest) of human muscles, cells and other tissues.

Outside proteins, amino acids perform critical roles in processes such as neurotransmitter transport and biosynthesis.

Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body.

It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals.

The substance is ingested by an organism and assimilated by the organism's cells to provide energy, maintain life, or stimulate growth.