Tata Chemicals Limited launched the branded version of cooking soda under the brand name Tata Samunder Cooking Soda. Cooking soda is an ingredient already familiar to Indian consumers. Till date, this product has only been available in an unbranded form and is purchased either loose or in unmarked plastic pouches. Tata Samunder Cooking Soda will compete with the unbranded cooking soda available in the market and Tata Chemicals hopes to create a more evolved and quality conscious market for this product, much the same way it did for Tata Salt in the early 1980's.

Defined as a value for money offering, Samunder is a pure and unadulterated product, which can do wonders to your cooking. Cooking soda or soda bicarbonate (NaHCO₃) is available in a refined form (food grade). Tata Samunder is the first branded food grade sachet cooking soda in the country. Food grade ensures that the cooking soda is pure and unadulterated.

Soda bicarbonate is known in different geographies of India by several different names. Some of the common alternate names used for cooking soda are: sodium bicarbonate, baking soda, meetha soda, khane ka soda, appa soda, soda flour, samayal soda, tiffin soda, soda uppu and appa uppu. Internationally it is also described as aerated salt, effervescent salt or leavening agents / salts.

Tata Chemicals has launched this product in Chennai to be followed by a national launch at a later date.

Tata Samunder cooking soda is primarily used as:

• Softening and leavening / fermenting agent (in idlis, dhoklas, meat and beans)
• Making food crisp in fried food items (pakodas, bhajjis, namkeens, samosas)
• Cooking faster (specially pulses like rajma and chana)
• Retaining the natural colour of vegetables
• Remove sourness of dough (old idli batter and milk)

Tata Samunder Cooking Soda is available in durable and attractive 30g and 100g pouches at Rs. 2 and Rs. 5 respectively. The company has also provided an initial launch offer with Tata Salt (a free 30g pack of Tata Samunder Cooking Soda with 1kg Tata Salt pack).