FSSAI
Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (full text)
The core food law behind every CFSO, TO and Food Analyst law paper.
Exam resources
MAUEB PG-CET — Food Technology and Community Science (Maharashtra agricultural universities) 2027
The Maharashtra Agricultural Universities Examination Board, Pune, runs a common entrance test for master's admission at the four state agricultural universities; the Food Technology paper (M.Tech Food Technology) and the Community Science paper (M.Sc Food Science and Nutrition and allied) each have 200 one-mark questions in two hours.
Admission to master's programmes at Maharashtra's four state agricultural universities (MPKV Rahuri, Dr. PDKV Akola, VNMKV Parbhani and Dr. BSKKV Dapoli) is by a common entrance test run by the Maharashtra Agricultural Universities Examination Board (MAUEB) under MCAER, Pune. Merit is 70% CET marks and 30% UG CGPA. Food technology graduates sit the Food Technology faculty paper for M.Tech (Food Technology) and Food Processing Technology; home science and community science graduates sit the Community Science paper for M.Sc (Community Science), including Food Science and Nutrition. Each faculty paper is a 200-question OMR test.
- Conducted by
- Maharashtra Agricultural Universities Examination Board (MAUEB), Maharashtra Council of Agricultural Education and Research (MCAER), Pune
Who can apply
The Food Technology paper is for M.Tech (Food Technology) and Food Processing Technology, open to B.Tech (Food Technology/Food Science) graduates of a four-year agriculture-related university degree. The Community Science paper takes B.Sc (Hons) Home Science or Community Science graduates. Final admission rules, including minimum CGPA, are set in MCAER's PG admission prospectus each year.
- Food Technology faculty (2025 bulletin, Table 1, group E): M.Tech (Food Technology) and Food Processing Technology; B.Tech (Food Tech./Food Technology/Food Science) or an equivalent four-year degree from an agriculture-related university.
- Community Science faculty (group F): M.Sc (Community Science) in Resource Management and Consumer Science, Food Science and Nutrition, and Human Development and Family Studies; B.Sc (Hons) Home Science or Community Science, four years.
- B.Tech (Food Technology) graduates are also eligible for some programmes under other faculties, such as Post Harvest Engineering in Agricultural Engineering.
- Graduates from private or deemed universities not accredited by ICAR are not eligible; private colleges affiliated to Maharashtra SAUs are eligible. Final-year students may appear.
- Merit for admission is 70% CET marks and 30% UG CGPA; minimum cut-offs are notified in MCAER's PG admission prospectus.
A summary. Confirm the details in the current notice.
Source: MAUEB PG-CET-2025 Information Bulletin ↗. Checked 2026-10-30.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food Technology | 200 | 200 | Compulsory |
| Paper total | — | 200 |
Mock tests follow the Food Technology faculty paper: 200 multiple-choice questions with four options, 200 marks, 2 hours, offline OMR, no negative marking, weighted by MAUEB's course groups (process technology 56, food engineering 56, microbiology and safety 30, business management and food law 31, chemistry and nutrition 27). The Community Science faculty paper has the same format but a different syllabus and is not part of these mocks.
Marking scheme
1 mark for each correct answer. There is no negative marking. Overwriting, ticks and multiple answers are treated as wrong and score zero. An unanswered question scores zero. Our mocks for this exam are scored the same way.
Source: MAUEB PG-CET-2025 Information Bulletin, Section 6 (Scheme of Examination) ↗
Free PDFs and recommended books for MCAER PG-CET Food Technology. How we choose
Free PDFs
12 free PDFsFood safety & law
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 microbiology
OpenStax · Rice University
Microbiology (OpenStax)
A complete, peer-reviewed university microbiology textbook.
NCERT
Class 12 Biology — Microbes in Human Welfare
Microbes in curd, cheese, bread and fermentation.
NCERT
Class 8 Science — Microorganisms: Friend and Foe
Food spoilage, preservation and pathogens at a very basic level.
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.
Nutrition
ICMR-NIN
Dietary Guidelines for Indians (2024, 2nd edition)
India's official diet, RDA and My Plate guidance.
FAO/WHO
Fats and Fatty Acids in Human Nutrition
Expert consultation on lipid requirements.
Official and open resources
2 resourcesOfficial answer key
MAUEB answer key, PG-CET-2024
Shows the key format; the question booklets themselves are not published.
Official law
Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (English)
For the Food Laws and Regulations course in the business management group.
Core food science
5 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
Food engineering
Unit Operations of Agricultural Processing by K. M. Sahay and K. K. Singh
Covers the unit operations, drying, milling.
Reading suggestion
Food engineering
Food Process Engineering and Technology by Zeki Berk
Good engineering reference for heat transfer, dehydration, freezing.
Reading suggestion
Microbiology
Food Microbiology by W. C. Frazier and D. C. Westhoff
Standard text for the food microbiology and safety courses.
Reading suggestion
Full topic list and section weightage MCAER PG-CET Food Technology syllabus and exam pattern
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Tests for this exam
4 results
- Subject test Free Medium Set 1 Food Technology 100Marks 60 minDuration Free Start test
- Subject test Free Medium Set 1 Food Technology 100Marks 60 minDuration Free Start test
- Subject test Free Easy Set 2 Food Technology 100Marks 60 minDuration Free Start test
- Subject test Free Easy Set 2 Food Technology 100Marks 60 minDuration Free Start test