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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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. The examining authority's current document remains definitive and should be verified before planning examination preparation.
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