“The Takumi no Waza approach is a methodology for deeply understanding the advanced skills and craftsmanship of professional chefs or home kitchens and translating those techniques into industrial production,” says Fumihiko Sano, chief innovation officer of the Ontario, Calif.-based company. “At its core, the objective is to bring the value of ‘authentic, real cooking’ into large-scale manufacturing.”

AFNA's research focus on accurately recreating authentic dishes was behind the launch of more than 140 products in 2025. Backed by a worldwide network of food researchers, the company’s influence on retailers’ frozen food departments is growing.

Sano notes that Ajinomoto’s R&D model combines technical expertise with an understanding of local market needs. The work is led by two Ajinomoto Group facilities in Japan: The Institute of Food Science and Technologies and the Research Institute for Bioscience Products & Fine Chemicals.

The work on frozen foods is led by the central research facility of Ajinomoto Frozen Foods Co. in Kawasaki, Japan. Researchers at that facility – including engineers, biotechnology experts and chemists – do advanced work supporting frozen foods, such as microbial control technologies and foundational research in freezing technologies.

Regional R&D teams, including in the United States, Europe and Southeast Asia, develop local products that satisfy regional consumer preferences, regulatory requirements and marketplace needs.

Altogether, Ajinomoto Group employs about 1,700 R&D professionals, including more than 500 with PhDs. The group’s expertise spans food science, fermentation, biotechnology, biology, chemistry, engineering and other specialized fields. Their efforts inform production at 117 plants worldwide, including seven in the U.S.

The Takumi no Waza approach begins with close observation of cooks and chefs in their environments, such as restaurants and development kitchens. Researchers take note of how these food preparers handle ingredients, control heat and manage cooking sequences and timing.

The researchers’ next step is to take the knowledge they gain from those observations and codify preparation techniques using instrumental analysis and repeated trials, Sano explains. “We believe it is essential to understand not only explicit factors, but also implicit elements such as the ‘definition of deliciousness,’ experience-based judgment and tacit knowledge,” he says.

Finally, the team translates those insights into procedures – including recipes, process conditions and equipment settings – that can be consistently reproduced in food production facilities.

In the case of the new ramen products, the researchers began by studying cooks making traditional Tonkotsu ramen, which involves the slow simmer of pork bones to create a stable emulsion of fat, collagen and water. They identified that the state of the emulsion is a critical factor that impacts mouthfeel and appearance.

“Next, we translated these insights into scientific parameters,” Sano says. “Specifically, we analyzed factors which contribute to the creamy texture. We also examined how processing conditions — such as temperature, cooking time and agitation — affect emulsification.”

To commercialize the product, researchers designed formulations and established new manufacturing processes to create the emulsified structure under industrial conditions. The process was engineered to achieve a stable emulsification and the texture typically found in restaurant-quality ramen.

Finally, they validated the product through sensory evaluation to ensure it delivers the authentic taste and experience of Tonkotsu ramen.

“Through this approach, we successfully bridged traditional culinary craftsmanship with industrial production, enabling us to deliver the rich and creamy quality of authentic Tonkotsu ramen at scale,” Sano says.

The Big Kitchen Model informs the factory 

AFNA’s Takumi no Waza research approach works hand-in-hand with another process: the Big Kitchen Model. The Big Kitchen Model is a manufacturing philosophy that strives to bring handmade cooking techniques into large-scale production facilities.

Sano explains that the model starts when researchers ask how a particular product would be made at home or in a restaurant. Answers to that question then help them develop processes that emulate made-from-scratch cooking in a factory.

The Big Kitchen Model drives the factory production of core components, such as noodles and gyoza dough, from the ground up to replicate handmade production as closely as possible.

“By utilizing cooking processes similar to those typically performed at home — such as cooking rice and stir-frying noodles — within our factories, we pursue authentic quality that goes beyond appearance, encompassing aroma and texture,” Sano says.

Ajinomoto Group began operating in the United States in 1993 primarily as a supplier of seasonings and ingredients. In 2000, the company launched Ajinomoto Frozen Foods USA Inc. AFNA reached $1.3 billion in sales in the U.S. and Canada in 2024.

The frozen ramen line hit Whole Foods Markets across the U.S. this June. Later this summer, the company is introducing a line of Single Serve Premium Rice entrees, including Huli Huli Chicken with Coconut Rice, Bulgogi Beef with Black & White Rice Blend, and Butter Chicken with Rice.

These products are evidence of how Ajinomoto’s R&D efforts meet the specific regional needs of consumers around the world.

“This integrated structure allows Ajinomoto Group to pair global scientific expertise with local market insight, helping the company develop products that are technically advanced, relevant to consumers and tailored to the needs of each region,” Sano says.