Incorporated on 2 Dec.'91, and promoted jointly by T V Sandeep Reddy and D S P Reddy and associates, Gayatri Starchkem Ltd., formerly known as Starchem Industries Ltd., is engaged in the manufacture of sorbitol with an installed capacity of 8550 tpa, it has a technical collaboration with Lurgi Oil Gas Chemie, Germany, for transfer of know-how, to manufacture sorbitol by adopting state-of-the-art low-pressure hydrogenation technology. Sorbitol is used in tonic/liquid formulations, toothpastes, cosmetic products like face creams and lotions, in tobacco processing for cigarettes, and in the paint, leather, paper, textile and food industries, etc. Sorbitol is more immune to bacteriological degradation than sugar, and is less vulnerable to mould growths than most other humectants and plasticising materials. The company came out with a public issue in Apr.'94 to part-finance a project to manufacture 8550 tpa of sorbitol. To achieve economies of scale in the manufacture of sorbitol, reduce raw material cost and improve quality, the company has embarked by setting up a starch project, as a backward integration project to the existing sorbitol plant with a rated capacity of 150 tpd at a capital cost of Rs 27 cr. The trial production has commenced on June, 1998 and commercial production of strach powder was commenced since august 1998 after installation of balance equipments by the end of July, 1998. During 1998-99, the Company has been awarded ISO 9002 Certificate for Sorbitol division. The company is also in process of implementing ISO 9002 standards for Starch division. Due to the high price of Furnace Oil, the company is installing coal fired husk based boiler, which will be operational by July 2000 end. Since networth has been fully eroded the company has been referred to BIFR and the Board has appointed IDBI as operating agency.