GATE — Engineering Sciences (XE), Section G Food Technology · India · IITs and IISc on rotation (2026: IIT Guwahati)
Original practice questions written to the published syllabus · not past papersGATE — Engineering Sciences (XE), Section G Food Technology is a postgraduate admission exam run by IITs and IISc on rotation (2026: IIT Guwahati), for candidates in India. Computer-based, 3 hours, 100 marks. MCQ, MSQ and NAT. General Aptitude is common to every GATE paper; within XE, Section A Engineering Mathematics is compulsory (stated on the 2026 XE-A syllabus) and the candidate chooses two further sections, of which G Food Technology is one. The split of marks between GA, XE-A and the two chosen sections is from Laisha's knowledge of earlier brochures and was not re-read for 2026.
Source: gate2026.iitg.ac.in.
Checked against the exam body's published information. Formats and fees change; confirm the current edition there before you book.
Keeping the plant clean and verified clean: soils and detergents, cleaning-in-place and cleaning-out-of-place, sanitisers and their validation, environmental monitoring for pathogens, personnel hygiene, pest management and water and waste hygiene.
Our 15 GATE questions in this subject: 9 easy, 6 medium, 0 hard, across 10 units.
Choose an answer, then open the working. Each explanation says why the right answer is right and why the others are not.
These 10 were written to GATE and are not shown on any other exam's page.
What is the correct order of operations when sanitising food-contact equipment?
D. Clean first, then sanitise
Soil shields microorganisms and inactivates sanitisers, so surfaces are cleaned before they are sanitised. A combined product may do both on lightly soiled surfaces, but the principle remains: soil removal first.
Why are people and equipment required to move from high-care to low-care areas and not the reverse?
C. To avoid carrying contamination from raw or dirty areas into ready-to-eat areas
Hygienic zoning prevents transfer of pathogens from raw-material and dirty areas into areas where cooked or ready-to-eat food is exposed. Distance, air temperature and fire exits are not the reason.
Why is protein soil the most difficult to remove?
B. It binds strongly and heat turns it into tough films
Protein adsorbs strongly to surfaces and heat denatures it into insoluble films; strong alkali, chlorinated alkali or proteases are needed. It is not water-soluble once denatured, acids are not the main remedy, and soap formation belongs to fats.
Which detergent component mainly binds calcium and magnesium ions in hard water?
A. Sequestering agents such as EDTA or polyphosphates
Sequestrants and chelators hold hardness ions in solution, preventing scale and loss of detergent. Surfactants wet and emulsify; alkalis saponify and dissolve protein; hypochlorite oxidises protein and sanitises.
Why is hypochlorite sanitiser more effective at pH 6.5 than at pH 9?
C. More of the chlorine is present as hypochlorous acid at lower pH
HOCl, the strong biocide, predominates below its pKa of about 7.5; at pH 9 most chlorine is the weaker OCl⁻. Below about pH 5, chlorine gas may form, so the useful range is about 6 to 7.5.
What four factors make up the Sinner circle of cleaning?
D. Temperature, mechanical action, chemical concentration and time
Sinner (1959) described cleaning as the combined effect of temperature, action, chemistry and time; lowering one requires raising the others.
A plant lowers its CIP detergent temperature from 80 to 60 °C to save energy. According to the Sinner circle, what should it do?
C. Increase time, concentration or flow to compensate
Less thermal energy must be balanced by more chemical, mechanical action or time, and the new cycle should be revalidated. Temperature strongly affects cleaning; shorter time would worsen results; the acid step is unrelated.
What is the usual order of steps in a full dairy CIP cycle?
D. Pre-rinse, alkaline wash, rinse, acid wash, rinse, sanitise
Loose soil is rinsed out, alkali removes organic soil, acid removes minerals, and sanitising is last on clean surfaces, with rinses between. Some heavily mineralised deposits may need acid first, but sanitising always comes last.
What does ATP bioluminescence measure on a cleaned surface?
A. ATP from residues and cells, in light units
Luciferase produces light in proportion to ATP from both food residue and microbes, read as RLU. It is not a bacterial count, not pathogen-specific, and not a sanitiser test.
Which water must be potable in a food plant?
A. Water that touches food or food surfaces
Water that is an ingredient or contacts food or food-contact surfaces, including ice and culinary steam, must be potable. Fire-fighting and closed-loop systems may use non-potable water in separate, identified pipes.
This plan follows where our questions actually fall, so the time goes where the marks are likely to be. It is our reading of the syllabus, not the exam body's weighting.
Read the manual chapters for these first and do every worked question you can find on them.
Aim for one sitting per unit, then mixed questions across them.
Learn the definitions, classifications and standard numbers; these units are more often recalled than worked.
Do these early in revision so they are fast on the day.
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