FSSAI
Manual of Methods of Analysis of Foods — Cereal and Cereal Products (2022)
Official analytical methods for cereals and flours.
Exam resources
ICAR Agricultural Research Service (ARS) — Food Science & Technology
ASRB conducts the Agricultural Research Service exam to recruit scientists into ICAR institutes, with Food Science & Technology as one discipline stream, through a Preliminary, Main and Interview process.
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) examination recruits entry-level Scientists into ICAR research institutes, and Food Technology is one of its disciplines. The process has a qualifying computer-based preliminary test, a descriptive main examination and a personal interview. Selection is made against advertised vacancies in each discipline.
- Conducted by
- Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB), for ICAR
Who can apply
For ARS-2025, Food Technology applicants needed a relevant master's degree, completed by 30.09.2025, and had to be aged 21 to under 32 on 01.08.2025. Age relaxation applies to specified categories.
- Master's degree in Food Science / Food Technology / Food Science and Technology / Post Harvest Technology (discipline 55)
- Age 21 to under 32 on 01.08.2025; upper limit relaxed by 5 years for SC/ST, 3 years for OBC-NCL and 10 years for PwBD
- Ph.D. holders get a further 3 years if the Ph.D. is held by the master's cut-off date; ICAR staff under 45 and agricultural-university staff under 35 may also apply
- Candidates must be citizens of India, or belong to one of the other nationality categories the rules list
- Fee (2025): Rs 1,000 UR, Rs 800 EWS/OBC, nil for SC/ST/PwBD/women/transgender
A summary. Confirm the details in the current notice.
Source: ASRB ARS-2025 notification, Annexures VI-VIII (archived copy) ↗. Checked 2026-09-26.
Based on past papers, not an official scheme. Confirm in the current notice.
Marking scheme
Preliminary: +1 for a correct answer, −1/3 for a wrong answer (as reported; ASRB's own notice could not be reached). An unanswered question scores zero. Our mocks for this exam are scored the same way.
Source: Reported, pw.live ↗
No year-wise ARS cut-off for Food Science & Technology has been published that we could find. The ARS Preliminary is a qualifying stage with a fixed minimum standard; reaching it takes you to the Mains. The figures are as reported; ASRB's own site could not be reached to confirm them.
| Year | Stage | UR | EWS / OBC | SC / ST / PwBD | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Every year | Preliminary, minimum qualifying marks (out of 150), fixed by ASRB | 67.5 (45%) | 60 (40%) | 52.5 (35%) | Reported, PW (pw.live) ↗ |
Free PDFs and recommended books for ICAR ARS. How we choose
Free PDFs
12 free PDFsProcessing & preservation
FSSAI · FoSTaC
FoSTaC Manual — Special (Level 2), Bakery
Bakery process hygiene and hazards as FSSAI sets them out.
NCERT
Class 12 Human Ecology & Family Sciences — Food Processing and Technology
A plain-language overview of preservation and processing.
NIOS
Home Science (321), Lesson 9 — Food Preservation
Household and basic industrial preservation principles.
Food safety & law
FSSAI
Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (full text)
The core food law behind every CFSO, TO and Food Analyst law paper.
FSSAI
Manual for Food Safety Officers — A Ready Reckoner
FSSAI's own handbook of a Food Safety Officer's hygiene and enforcement duties.
FSSAI
Manual of Methods of Analysis of Foods — Spices and Condiments
Official methods for spice quality and adulterant detection.
FSSAI
Compendium — Food Additives Regulations (December 2022)
Consolidated legal limits for additives by food category.
Food chemistry
FSSAI
Manual of Methods of Analysis of Foods — Oils and Fats
Official methods for acid, iodine and saponification values and related tests.
NCERT
Class 11 Biology — Biomolecules
Carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and enzymes.
NCERT
Class 12 Chemistry — Biomolecules
Structures of sugars, amino acids, vitamins and nucleic acids.
Food microbiology
OpenStax · Rice University
Microbiology (OpenStax)
A complete, peer-reviewed university microbiology textbook.
Exam-specific preparation
1 resourceCompetitive guide
Competitive Book of Food Science and Technology for JRF, SRF, NET
Objective preparation book aimed at ICAR-JRF, SRF.
Reading suggestion
Core food technology
4 resourcesCore food technology
Textbook of Food Science and Technology (ICAR)
Indian food technology baseline for processing, preservation, chemistry.
Reading suggestion
Core food technology
Food Science by B. Srilakshmi
Useful for food chemistry, nutrition, preservation.
Reading suggestion
Microbiology
Food Microbiology by M. R. Adams and M. O. Moss
Strong reference for spoilage, pathogens, fermentation.
Reading suggestion
Food engineering
Food Process Engineering and Technology by Zeki Berk
Good engineering reference for heat transfer, dehydration, freezing.
Reading suggestion
Free channels worth following for ICAR ARS.
YouTube channels
3 channelsOfficial
Indian Council of Agricultural Research
ICAR's official channel — institutional news, events.
University/NPTEL
Fundamentals of Food Process Engineering — IIT Kharagpur (Prof. Jayeeta Mitra)
A full IIT lecture course on rheology, heat and mass transfer.
Coaching (free lectures)
Agriculture & GK
Long free class series for FSSAI CFSO.
Full topic list and section weightage ICAR ARS syllabus and exam pattern
Free access
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