Kikunae Ikeda was a Tokyo Imperial University professor in Chemistry who, in 1908, uncovered the chemical root behind a taste he named umami. He discovered that the common component that produced the flavour of meat, seaweed and tomatoes was glutamate, which produces the sensation of "umami". He also patented the manufacture of monosodium glutamate. Wikipedia
Sodium Glutamate was invented in 1908 by Dr. Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo Imperial University based on research for the purpose of commercializing as seasoning the component of kombu (a type of seaweed) that produces its good taste. www.jpo.go.jp/seido_e/rekishi_e/kikunae_ikeda.htm
The definitive Wikipedia entry for Kikunae Ikeda. Wikipedia is the biggest multilingual free-content encyclopedia on the Internet. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kikunae_Ikeda
