FSSAI Food Analyst official syllabus guide
FSSAI Food Analyst syllabus 2026
The FAE is a single Computer Based Test covering the six units a working Food Analyst actually needs — the law that governs sampling and prosecution, how a food-testing laboratory is run, how food is preserved and packaged, human nutrition, food chemistry and food microbiology. Clearing it is only the first stage: a mandatory practical exam and a two-week Food Analyst training follow before FSSAI issues the certificate.
Exam pattern and marking
- 200 questions, 800 marks, computer-based
- +4 for a correct answer, -1 for a wrong one
- Minimum 50% to qualify for the Practical Examination stage
- CBT -> mandatory Practical Examination -> mandatory two-week Food Analyst training -> Food Analyst Certificate
FSSAI notifies the FAE pattern per recruitment cycle. Treat the figures above as the most recently notified shape (11th FAE, 2025-26 cycle), not as a fixed one, and treat any application-window or exam-date shown on this site as tentative until FSSAI's own next notification confirms it.
Food Analyst Examination (FAE) syllabus
Unit 1: Food Laws and Regulations
4 topics- Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the FSS Rules, 2011
- FSS Regulations — packaging and labelling, food products standards and additives, contaminants/toxins/residues, organic food, fortification
- Sampling, analysis and prosecution procedure — Food Safety Officer, Food Analyst, Designated Officer, Adjudicating Officer, Appellate Tribunal
- Codex Alimentarius and the WTO SPS Agreement
Unit 2: Planning and Organisation of Laboratories
4 topics- ISO/IEC 17025 and NABL accreditation
- Laboratory design, safety and equipment — fume hoods, autoclaves, laminar flow, reagent/water grades
- Method validation — LOD, LOQ, accuracy, precision, uncertainty
- Quality systems — internal QC, proficiency testing, chain of custody, CAPA, documentation
Unit 3: Food Preservation and Packaging
4 topics- Thermal processing — D-value, Z-value, F-value, pasteurization, commercial sterility
- Non-thermal and emerging preservation — irradiation, high pressure processing, ohmic heating, hurdle technology
- Packaging systems — MAP, vacuum, aseptic, retort pouch, active packaging, migration
- Preservatives — Class I/II under the FSS Regulations, permitted limits
Unit 4: Principles of Human Nutrition
4 topics- Macro- and micronutrient deficiency diseases
- RDA, EAR, BMI and protein quality (PER, NPU, biological value)
- India's nutrition programmes and food fortification vehicles
- Functional foods, probiotics and prebiotics
Unit 5: Food Chemistry
4 topics- Carbohydrates, proteins and lipids — structure, denaturation, rancidity
- Maillard reaction, caramelisation and enzymatic browning
- Water activity and moisture sorption isotherms
- Pigments, emulsifiers, gelling agents and food additive chemistry
Unit 6: Food Microbiology
4 topics- Microbial growth curve and the factors that control it
- Foodborne pathogens, spoilage organisms and mycotoxins
- Indicator organisms, plate counts and rapid detection methods
- HACCP, GMP and biopreservation
Source: FSSAI recruitment notices ↗. Source: FSS Act 2006 and Rules ↗. Checked 2026-09-02.
Section weight by year
| Paper | Food Analysis, Standards & Regulations | Paper II | Total | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FSSAI Food Analyst Examination 2021 (7th FAE) | 756 189 Q | — | 756 | 180 |
| FSSAI 3rd Food Analyst Exam 2016 — Paper I | — | 100 | 100 | 120 |
| FSSAI 3rd Food Analyst Exam 2016 — Paper II | — | 99 | 99 | 120 |
A dash means that paper had no such section — not that the figure is missing. The board has renamed and reorganised the sections between sittings, so the columns are the union of every taxonomy it has used. Candidates should therefore prepare the underlying subjects rather than relying on one year's section labels.
Changes in examination pattern
Compared across past papers. Not an official announcement.
| Change | Compared papers | Before | After | What changed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | FSSAI 3rd Food Analyst Exam 2016 — Paper I → FSSAI Food Analyst Examination 2021 (7th FAE) | 100 q 100 marks 120 min 1 section | 189 q 756 marks 180 min 1 section |
Questions
100 → 189
Duration
120 → 180 min
Marks
100 → 756
Dropped
Paper I
Added
Food Analysis, Standards & Regulations
|
| 2016 | FSSAI 3rd Food Analyst Exam 2016 — Paper II → FSSAI 3rd Food Analyst Exam 2016 — Paper I | 99 q 99 marks 120 min 1 section | 100 q 100 marks 120 min 1 section |
Questions
99 → 100
Marks
99 → 100
Dropped
Paper II
Added
Paper I
|
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