FSSAI
Manual of Methods of Analysis of Foods — Cereal and Cereal Products (2022)
Official analytical methods for cereals and flours.
Exam resources
ICAR JRF/SRF — Food Technology 2026
The ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF examination supports admission and fellowship selection for advanced agricultural study. Its Food Science & Technology stream assesses general agriculture, core subject knowledge and specialization.
The ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF examination supports postgraduate and doctoral research within the national agricultural research system. Food Science and Technology is one of the disciplines offered.
- Conducted by
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
Who can apply
For the 2026 Ph.D. examination (AICE-JRF/SRF), applicants need a master's degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Food Science and Technology or Post Harvest Technology with the minimum OGPA or percentage set by ICAR, and must be at least 20 years old.
- Master's degree in Food Science / Food Technology / Food Science and Technology / Post Harvest Technology
- Minimum 60% (or 6.5/10 OGPA) for General, OBC-NCL, UPS and EWS; 50% (or 5.5/10) for SC, ST, PwBD and third gender. Marks are not rounded off
- Graduation must be a 4-year B.Tech/B.Sc (Ag.) type degree with a 2-year thesis-based master's; 3-year bachelor's and 5-year integrated M.Sc holders are not eligible, except for a few IARI/NDRI courses
- At least 20 years old on 31.08.2026, with no relaxation of the minimum; the bulletin sets no upper age limit
- The fellowship pays Rs 37,000 a month in years 1-2 (JRF) and Rs 42,000 in year 3 (SRF), and applies only to admission in an agricultural university
A summary. Confirm the details in the current notice.
Source: NTA Information Bulletin, ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF (Ph.D.) 2026 ↗. Checked 2026-09-26.
Based on past papers, not an official scheme. Confirm in the current notice.
Every section is compulsory, with no choice between them, and the paper is timed at 120 minutes.
| Section | Questions | Marks | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part A - General Agriculture and Allied Sciences | 20 | 80 | Compulsory |
| Part B - Core Food Science and Technology | 50 | 200 | Compulsory |
| Part C - Specialization | 51 | 204 | Compulsory |
| Paper total | — | 484 |
Part A, Part B and Part C are all compulsory — there is no optional section to choose.
Marking scheme
+4 for a correct answer, −1 for a wrong answer. An unanswered question scores zero. Our mocks for this exam are scored the same way.
Source: NTA ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) 2026 information bulletin ↗
Neither ICAR nor NTA publishes a single subject-wide cut-off for AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD). What ICAR does publish is its PhD counselling cut-off list, which gives one row per allotted seat, per university and per category. The 2025 rows below show the lowest AICE-JRF/SRF score allotted a Food Processing Technology seat in Round 1 at each university. The 2024 rows show closing ranks, because the 2024 list gives ranks only, not marks. A lower rank is better.
| Year | Stage | UR | EWS | OBC | SC | ST | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | PhD counselling Round 1 cut-off marks: Food Processing Technology, Anand Agricultural University | 216 | 164 | 204 | 152 | 157 | Official, ICAR counselling, Cut off AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) 2025 ↗ |
| 2025 | PhD counselling Round 1 cut-off marks: Food Processing Technology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana | 211 | — | 177 | — | — | Official, ICAR counselling, Cut off AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) 2025 ↗ |
| 2025 | PhD counselling Round 1 cut-off marks: Food Processing Technology, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar | 223 | — | — | — | — | Official, ICAR counselling, Cut off AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) 2025 ↗ |
| 2025 | PhD counselling Round 1 cut-off marks: Food Processing Technology, VNMKV Parbhani | 205 | — | 156 | 147 | — | Official, ICAR counselling, Cut off AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) 2025 ↗ |
| 2025 | PhD counselling Round 1 cut-off marks: Food Processing Technology, JNKVV Jabalpur | 189 | — | — | — | — | Official, ICAR counselling, Cut off AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) 2025 ↗ |
| 2025 | PhD counselling Round 1 cut-off marks: Food Processing Technology, BHU Varanasi | 179 | — | 156 | — | — | Official, ICAR counselling, Cut off AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) 2025 ↗ |
| 2024 | PhD counselling closing rank: Food Processing Technology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana | 1 | — | 140 | 45 | — | Official, ICAR counselling, PhD cut-off 2024 ↗ |
| 2024 | PhD counselling closing rank: Food Processing Technology, Anand Agricultural University | 46 | — | 29 | 69 | — | Official, ICAR counselling, PhD cut-off 2024 ↗ |
| 2024 | PhD counselling closing rank: Food Processing Technology, BHU Varanasi | 43 | — | 48 | — | — | Official, ICAR counselling, PhD cut-off 2024 ↗ |
| 2024 | PhD counselling closing rank: Food Processing Technology, VNMKV Parbhani | 77 | — | 155 | — | 131 | Official, ICAR counselling, PhD cut-off 2024 ↗ |
| 2024 | PhD counselling closing rank: Food Processing Technology, GBPUAT Pantnagar | 98 | — | — | — | — | Official, ICAR counselling, PhD cut-off 2024 ↗ |
Compared across past papers. Not an official announcement.
| Change | Compared papers | Before | After | What changed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF 2022 — Food Processing Technology → ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF 2024 — Processing & Food Engineering | 119 q 476 marks 120 min 3 sections | 120 q 480 marks 120 min 2 sections |
Questions
119 → 120
Marks
476 → 480
Dropped
Part A: General Agriculture, Part B: Dairy Science, Dairy Technology & Food Technology, Part C: Food Processing Technology
Added
Part A — General Agriculture, Processing & Food Engineering
|
| 2024 | ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF 2024 — Processing & Food Engineering → ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF 2024 — Food Processing Technology | 120 q 480 marks 120 min 2 sections | 120 q 480 marks 120 min 2 sections |
Dropped
Processing & Food Engineering
Added
Food Processing Technology
|
| 2022 | ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF 2021 — Food Technology → ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF 2022 — Processing & Food Engineering | 120 q 480 marks 120 min 3 sections | 119 q 476 marks 120 min 3 sections |
Questions
120 → 119
Marks
480 → 476
Dropped
Part A — General Knowledge, Part B — Core: Dairy Science, Dairy Technology & Food Technology, Part C — Food Technology
Added
Part A: General Agriculture, Part B: Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Part C: Processing and Food Engineering
|
| 2022 | ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF 2022 — Processing & Food Engineering → ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF 2022 — Food & Nutrition | 119 q 476 marks 120 min 3 sections | 120 q 480 marks 120 min 3 sections |
Questions
119 → 120
Marks
476 → 480
Dropped
Part B: Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Part C: Processing and Food Engineering
Added
Part B: Community Science, Part C: Food and Nutrition
|
| 2022 | ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF 2022 — Food & Nutrition → ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF 2022 — Food Processing Technology | 120 q 480 marks 120 min 3 sections | 119 q 476 marks 120 min 3 sections |
Questions
120 → 119
Marks
480 → 476
Dropped
Part B: Community Science, Part C: Food and Nutrition
Added
Part B: Dairy Science, Dairy Technology & Food Technology, Part C: Food Processing Technology
|
| 2021 | ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF 2020 — Food Technology → ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF Food Science & Technology 2021 | 119 q 476 marks 120 min 3 sections | 89 q 89 marks 120 min 1 section |
Questions
119 → 89
Marks
476 → 89
Dropped
Part A — General Knowledge, Part B — Core Dairy Science, Dairy Technology and Food Technology, Part C — Food Technology
Added
Food Science & Technology
|
| 2021 | ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF Food Science & Technology 2021 → ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF 2021 — Food Science & Nutrition | 89 q 89 marks 120 min 1 section | 119 q 476 marks 120 min 3 sections |
Questions
89 → 119
Marks
89 → 476
Dropped
Food Science & Technology
Added
Part A — General Knowledge, Part B — Core: Community Home Science, Part C — Food Science and Nutrition
|
| 2021 | ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF 2021 — Food Science & Nutrition → ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF 2021 — Food Safety & Quality Assurance | 119 q 476 marks 120 min 3 sections | 119 q 476 marks 120 min 3 sections |
Dropped
Part B — Core: Community Home Science, Part C — Food Science and Nutrition
Added
Part B — Core: Dairy Science, Dairy Technology & Food Technology, Part C — Food Safety and Quality Assurance
|
| 2021 | ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF 2021 — Food Safety & Quality Assurance → ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF 2021 — Food Technology | 119 q 476 marks 120 min 3 sections | 120 q 480 marks 120 min 3 sections |
Questions
119 → 120
Marks
476 → 480
Dropped
Part C — Food Safety and Quality Assurance
Added
Part C — Food Technology
|
| 2020 | ICAR JRF 2012 — Food Science & Technology → ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF 2020 — Agricultural Processing & Food Engineering | 112 q 448 marks 90 min 1 section | 120 q 480 marks 120 min 3 sections |
Questions
112 → 120
Duration
90 → 120 min
Marks
448 → 480
Dropped
ICAR JRF 2012
Added
Part A — General Knowledge, Part B — Core Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Part C — Agricultural Processing and Food Engineering
|
| 2020 | ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF 2020 — Agricultural Processing & Food Engineering → ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF 2020 — Food Science & Nutrition | 120 q 480 marks 120 min 3 sections | 120 q 480 marks 120 min 3 sections |
Dropped
Part B — Core Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Part C — Agricultural Processing and Food Engineering
Added
Part B — Core Home Science, Part C — Food Science & Nutrition
|
| 2020 | ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF 2020 — Food Science & Nutrition → ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF 2020 — Food Safety & Quality Assurance | 120 q 480 marks 120 min 3 sections | 119 q 476 marks 120 min 3 sections |
Questions
120 → 119
Marks
480 → 476
Dropped
Part A — General Knowledge, Part B — Core Home Science, Part C — Food Science & Nutrition
Added
Part A: General Knowledge, Part B: Core Dairy Science, Dairy Technology and Food Technology, Part C: Food Safety and Quality Assurance
|
| 2020 | ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF 2020 — Food Safety & Quality Assurance → ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF 2020 — Food Technology | 119 q 476 marks 120 min 3 sections | 119 q 476 marks 120 min 3 sections |
Dropped
Part A: General Knowledge, Part B: Core Dairy Science, Dairy Technology and Food Technology, Part C: Food Safety and Quality Assurance
Added
Part A — General Knowledge, Part B — Core Dairy Science, Dairy Technology and Food Technology, Part C — Food Technology
|
Free PDFs and recommended books for ICAR JRF. 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.
Dairy technology
FSSAI
Manual of Methods of Analysis of Foods — Milk and Milk Products
Official laboratory methods for milk analysis and adulteration tests.
Official and open resources
2 resourcesOfficial syllabus
ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) syllabus
Official subject syllabus, including Food Science and Technology.
Official syllabus
ICAR AIEEA (PG) syllabus
Official syllabus for the master's-level JRF entrance, including Food Science.
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 science
4 resourcesCore food technology
Textbook of Food Science and Technology (ICAR)
Indian food-science baseline for processing, preservation, chemistry.
Reading suggestion
Core food science
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 JRF.
YouTube channels
8 channelsOfficial
Indian Council of Agricultural Research
ICAR's official channel — institutional news, events.
Official
National Testing Agency
Official NTA guidance videos for the exams it runs, including CUET-PG.
University/NPTEL
Fundamentals of Food Process Engineering — IIT Kharagpur (Prof. Jayeeta Mitra)
A full IIT lecture course on rheology, heat and mass transfer.
University/NPTEL
Novel Technologies for Food Processing & Shelf Life Extension — IIT Kharagpur (Prof. H. N. Mishra)
IIT course on food constituents, quality and safety.
Educator
Food Tech Online
Previous-year-question videos for ICAR-PG food science, GATE food technology.
Coaching (free lectures)
Adda247 Food Science
Free FSSAI CFSO classes on food chemistry, analysis.
Coaching (free lectures)
Agriculture & GK
Long free class series for FSSAI CFSO.
Coaching (free lectures)
Swa Education
Broad free FSO coverage — unit-wise MP FSO classes, Rajasthan, Haryana.
Telegram channels
2 channelsCoaching (free lectures)
Agriculture & GK
Daily recruitment notifications.
Coaching (free lectures)
Food Tech Scholars
A food-tech-only feed from Agriculture & GK.
Full topic list and section weightage ICAR JRF syllabus and exam pattern
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- Full mock test Free Hard Set 25 ICAR JRF Mock Test 25 484Marks 120 minDuration Free Start test
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- Full mock test Free Hard Set 28 ICAR JRF Mock Test 28 484Marks 120 minDuration Free Start test