GATE — Life Sciences (XL), Section U Food Technology · India · IITs and IISc on rotation (2026: IIT Guwahati)
Original practice questions written to the published syllabus · not past papersPackaging as part of the preservation system: materials and their barrier properties, package design and testing, metal cans, glass, paper and plastics, aseptic, modified-atmosphere, active and intelligent packaging, migration and food-contact law, and packaging sustainability. Agricultural Engineering's storage-engineering-packaging covers bulk storage and an introduction to packaging materials; this subject is the full packaging course.
In the exams: GATE XE-G Section 3 (packaging materials, aseptic packaging, controlled and modified atmosphere storage) and Section 4 (permeability through films); ICAR AIEEA-PG Code 18 Unit III; ICAR AICE 35.a Unit 5 and 37 Unit 2
GATE — Engineering Sciences (XE), Section G Food Technology
Section 3 names packaging materials, aseptic packaging, and controlled and modified atmosphere storage; Section 4 names permeability through single and multilayer films. Expect questions on polymer barrier properties, laminate structures, MAP gas roles, aseptic package sterilisation, and numericals on film permeation, WVTR from cup tests and series barrier layers.
GATE — Life Sciences (XL), Section U Food Technology
Same Section 3–4 content as XE-G, often linked to microbiology (CO2 effects, C. botulinum in reduced-oxygen packs) and chemistry (oxidation, moisture gain).
How our questions for GATE spread across the units of Food Packaging Science & Technology. Difficulty: 14 easy, 12 medium, 7 hard.
| Barrier properties: water vapour and oxygen transmission rates | 6 | |
| Metal cans: tinplate, tin-free steel and aluminium; corrosion and lacquers | 4 | |
| Laminates, coextrusion and coatings | 4 | |
| Modified-atmosphere and vacuum packaging | 4 | |
| Plastics: polymer types, properties and processing | 3 | |
| Functions and levels of food packaging | 2 | |
| Paper, paperboard and corrugated packaging | 2 | |
| Aseptic packaging systems | 2 | |
| Active packaging: oxygen scavengers, moisture absorbers and antimicrobials | 2 | |
| Edible and biodegradable packaging | 2 | |
| Glass containers | 1 | |
| Migration and food-contact material regulation | 1 |
Choose an answer, then open the working. Each explanation says why the right answer is right and why the others are not.
Food glass containers are mainly made of
D. soda-lime-silica glass
Soda-lime-silica is cheap and suitable; borosilicate is used for laboratory and ovenware.
Further reading: Robertson, Food Packaging: Principles and Practice
Tinplate is
A. low-carbon steel coated with tin
Electrolytic tin coating protects the steel; TFS uses chromium/chromium oxide.
Further reading: Robertson, Food Packaging: Principles and Practice
EVOH layers in multilayer packs are sandwiched between polyolefins mainly because EVOH
D. loses oxygen barrier when it absorbs moisture
EVOH is an excellent dry oxygen barrier; polyolefins keep moisture away from it.
Further reading: Robertson, Food Packaging: Principles and Practice
A typical retort pouch has the layer structure (outside to inside)
D. polyester / aluminium foil / cast polypropylene
PET for strength and print, foil for barrier, cast PP for sealing and heat resistance.
Further reading: Robertson, Food Packaging: Principles and Practice
A film with OTR 1,600 cm³/m² day is laminated to a barrier film with OTR 2 cm³/m² day. The laminate OTR is about
C. 2.0 cm³/m² day
Resistances add: 1/OTR = 1/1,600 + 1/2, so OTR = 2.0; the barrier layer dominates. 801 averages; 1,602 adds the OTRs.
Further reading: Robertson, Food Packaging: Principles and Practice
In aseptic packaging, the filling zone is kept sterile mainly by
D. positive pressure of HEPA-filtered sterile air
Overpressure filtered air excludes contamination; surfaces are sterilised before production.
Further reading: Robertson, Food Packaging: Principles and Practice
High-oxygen MAP (about 70–80 % O2) is used for fresh red meat mainly to
C. keep myoglobin as bright red oxymyoglobin
High O2 maintains bloom but promotes lipid oxidation.
Further reading: Robertson, Food Packaging: Principles and Practice
Equilibrium MAP for fresh-cut produce relies on
B. film permeability matched to produce respiration
Transmission balances respiration at low O2, raised CO2, avoiding anaerobic fermentation.
Further reading: Robertson, Food Packaging: Principles and Practice
Potassium permanganate sachets are used in fruit packs to
B. absorb ethylene and slow ripening
KMnO4 oxidises ethylene, delaying ripening of climacteric fruit.
Further reading: Han (ed.), Innovations in Food Packaging
Wax coatings on apples and citrus are an example of
C. edible coating
Waxes reduce moisture loss and add gloss.
Further reading: Han (ed.), Innovations in Food Packaging
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