India's Tata Chemicals plans to commission a 300 t/y pilot plant to produce nutraceuticals at its Chennai site at the beginning of 2015. The start-up will mark the company's entry into the business, and is part of its plan to increasingly focus on specialty and consumer products businesses. A scale-up to 1,000 t is planned. Products to be made at the Chennai facility include oligosaccharides and polyols.

At an event to promote a new book on Tata's history, managing director R. Mukundan said the Indian company has evolved from a commodities enterprise producing mainly inorganic chemicals to one that provides solutions to end-customers.

Tata Chemicals is today world's second largest soda ash producer and the largest salt manufacturer, Mukundan said, adding that it is "completely committed to Indian agriculture."