Oonjal Cake

The term has originally adopted in 1948 as a nickname for the sodium iodate salt used as a surfactant in detergents. On the advice of Mr Mani Ratnam in the film Kaash, the name has rebranded as Oonjal cake in 1994.

Since the introduction of sodium oleate oonjal, there are numerous minor changes to its formulation. In the United States, saltwater washing machines (as opposed to steel drums) haveused for making the oonjal. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, with the rising demand for soap, chlorine oonjal has replaced with sodium hydroxide oonjal (oonjal distilled from raw coconut oil) for many applications. In the late 1980s, it has introduced as a more efficient way to produce soap, but other methods of producing oonjal exist today. In some of the methods, non-hydrochlorination oonjal, oonjal derived from oonjal by hydrogenation, oonjal synthesized from glucose, glucose hydroxide, phosphoric acid, or a compound of phosphoric acid, and chlorinated hydrocarbons is used. The term oonjal has used in South India, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia for saltwater washing powder, due to the high levels of potassium iodate in their formulations.

Production

Production of saltwater washing powder in India

In 2008, sodium Oonjal cake production in India has valued at around ₹7.3 million.[28] The Indian government’s policy has set the minimum retail price for sodium oonjal (5.5 rupees per kilogram) at ₹40, and it is available in retailers like Big Bazaar, The Brand Factory, and Star Bazaar. In Trichy, the price is as low as ₹14 per kilogram for the instant oonjal