CFTRI Technical Assistant official syllabus guide
CFTRI Technical Assistant syllabus 0
CFTRI notified the trade and Paper-III syllabus separately for each advertisement (24 Oct 2024 for Rec.36/2018 and 25 Jun 2025 for Rec.03/2025) with the same four food-area blocks. The earlier papers on this site are the 9 Feb 2025 Paper-III (100 questions, 300 marks) and the 21 Dec 2025 Paper-III (96 questions on the site, 288 marks, against 100 questions in the notified scheme), both 90 minutes with +3 and -1 marking.
Exam pattern and marking
- Paper-I (1 hour): Mental Ability Test, 50 questions, 100 marks (2 marks each), no negative marking; qualifying only, with a category-wise minimum threshold.
- Paper-II (30 minutes): General Awareness 25 questions and English Language 25 questions, 75 marks each (3 marks per question), 1 mark deducted per wrong answer.
- Paper-III (90 minutes): concerned subject, 100 questions, 300 marks (3 marks each), 1 mark deducted per wrong answer.
- Whole written examination: 200 questions, 3 hours in total, OMR or computer based objective multiple-choice; questions in English and Hindi except the English language questions; standard is diploma/graduation level.
- The Trade Test comes first and is qualifying; the merit list uses only Paper-II plus Paper-III marks, and Paper-II and III are evaluated only for those who clear the Paper-I threshold.
Three papers in one sitting; Paper-III is the Food Science/Food Technology subject paper syllabus
Food Composition and Nutrition
5 topics- Moisture in foods and its determination
- Carbohydrate, protein and fat content and changes in processing
- Vitamins, minerals and plant pigments and their processing changes
- Energy value and requirement, nutritional aspects of macronutrients
- Deficiency diseases, RDAs and balanced diets
Food Microbiology and Safety
4 topics- Types of microorganisms and growth requirements
- Factors that destroy microorganisms
- Sources of contamination and prevention
- Microbiology of water, milk, cereals, fruits and vegetables, meat, fish, poultry and eggs
Food Processing and Packaging
5 topics- Basic processing principles and causes of spoilage
- Refrigerated, modified and controlled atmosphere storage
- Freezing, drying, salt and sugar, chemical preservation, irradiation, hurdle technology
- Processing of fruits, vegetables, cereals, pulses, millets, oilseeds, meat, fish, poultry and dairy products
- Packaging materials (paper, plastics, foils, cans, glass) and packaging of different foods
Plant Management, Cost Accounting and Storage
4 topics- FSSAI and regulatory requirements of food industries (named in the 2025 notification)
- Structure and operation of food plants
- Computer applications, databases, networking and project management
- Industrial cost accounting, purchase and stores procedure, budgets and product costing
Source: Syllabus notification, Rec.03/2025 (25 Jun 2025) ↗. Source: Advt. Rec.03/2025 scheme of written examination ↗. Source: Syllabus notification, Rec.36/2018 (24 Oct 2024) ↗. Checked 2026-10-02.
Section weight by year
| Paper | Food Technology / Food Science | Total | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| CFTRI Technical Assistant 2025 (21 December) | 288 96 Q | 288 | 90 |
| CFTRI Technical Assistant 2025 (9 February) | 300 100 Q | 300 | 90 |
Changes in examination pattern
Compared across past papers. Not an official announcement.
| Change | Compared papers | Before | After | What changed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | CFTRI Technical Assistant 2025 (9 February) → CFTRI Technical Assistant 2025 (21 December) | 100 q 300 marks 90 min 1 section | 96 q 288 marks 90 min 1 section |
Questions
100 → 96
Marks
300 → 288
Section split
Food Technology / Food Science 100q → 96q
|
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