ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) — Food Processing Technology, Food Safety & Quality, Processing and Food Engineering · India · ICAR through the National Testing Agency
Original practice questions written to the published syllabus · not past papersThe newest part of the field: plant-based meat, dairy and egg analogues, cultivated meat, precision-fermentation ingredients, mycoprotein, insects and algae, and 3D food printing — their technology, nutrition, safety, regulation and sustainability claims.
In the exams: ICAR AICE 35.a Unit 2 (dairy analogues based on plant milk); PG research and industry R&D roles
How our questions for ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF spread across the units of Alternative Proteins & Future Foods. Difficulty: 18 easy, 54 medium, 26 hard.
| Plant-based meat analogues: ingredients and structuring | 9 | |
| Nutrition and safety of novel proteins | 9 | |
| Drivers for alternative proteins | 8 | |
| Plant-based dairy and egg analogues | 8 | |
| Mycoprotein and fungal biomass | 8 | |
| Precision fermentation for food proteins and fats | 8 | |
| Cultivated meat: cell lines, media and scaffolds | 8 | |
| Edible insects | 8 | |
| Algae and seaweed as food | 8 | |
| 3D food printing | 8 | |
| Regulation of novel and cell-based foods | 8 | |
| Life-cycle assessment and sustainability claims | 8 |
Choose an answer, then open the working. Each explanation says why the right answer is right and why the others are not.
Textured vegetable protein (TVP) used in mince-type products is made mainly by
B. Low-moisture extrusion
Low-moisture extrusion expands protein into porous pieces that are dried and rehydrated. High-moisture extrusion gives dense fibrous products; drying methods do not texturise.
Further reading: Kyriakopoulou, Keppler and van der Goot, Foods (2021)
Compared with the beef patties they replace, many plant-based burgers are higher in
D. Sodium
Many analogues contain substantial added salt. Plants contain no vitamin B12 or haem iron naturally (they must be added), and plant-based products contain no cholesterol.
Further reading: Kyriakopoulou, Keppler and van der Goot, Foods (2021)
Unless fortified, plant-based drinks are typically low in
A. Calcium and vitamin B12
Cow milk supplies calcium, vitamin B12, riboflavin and iodine, which plant drinks lack unless added. They are mostly water and may contain sugars and some fibre.
Further reading: Kyriakopoulou, Keppler and van der Goot, Foods (2021)
Precision fermentation means
D. Engineered microbes, one product
In precision fermentation a microorganism carries a gene for a target protein or other molecule, which is produced and purified. Temperature control, tissue culture and salt fermentation are other processes.
Further reading: FAO and WHO, Food safety aspects of cell-based food (2023)
Crickets need 2.1 kg feed per kg live weight with 80% edible; cattle need 8.0 kg feed per kg live weight with 40% edible. For 10 kg of edible product, the feed needed is about
B. 26 kg and 200 kg
Crickets: 10 ÷ 0.8 × 2.1 = 26.3 kg; cattle: 10 ÷ 0.4 × 8.0 = 200 kg. 21 and 80 ignore the edible fraction; 17 and 32 multiply by the edible fraction instead of dividing. Real ratios vary widely by system.
Further reading: van Huis et al., Edible insects (FAO, 2013)
Many jurisdictions prohibit rearing food insects on manure mainly because
B. Pathogens and residues transfer
Substrates can transfer pathogens, veterinary drug residues and heavy metals into insects, so substrates for food insects are controlled. Many insects do consume manure, and cost is not the reason.
Further reading: van Huis et al., Edible insects (FAO, 2013)
A protein's limiting amino acid score is 0.85 and its digestibility is 0.90. Its PDCAAS is
D. 0.77
PDCAAS = 0.85 × 0.90 = 0.765 ≈ 0.77. 0.85 ignores digestibility; 0.94 divides 0.85 by 0.90; 1.75 adds the two values.
Further reading: FAO, Dietary protein quality evaluation in human nutrition (2013)
Cereal proteins are usually limited by
A. Lysine
Cereals are typically lysine-limited, while legumes are limited by sulphur amino acids (methionine and cysteine); combining them improves quality.
Further reading: FAO, Dietary protein quality evaluation in human nutrition (2013)
Plant-based burgers should carry storage and cooking instructions like raw meat mainly because they
D. Support pathogens
Minced, moist, near-neutral, protein-rich products support pathogens and spoilage much as raw meat does, so cold chain and cooking guidance apply. They are not sterile and contain no animal cells.
Further reading: FAO, Dietary protein quality evaluation in human nutrition (2013)
In LCA, a 'cradle-to-gate' study stops at
C. The factory gate
Cradle-to-gate covers raw materials to the product leaving the factory; cradle-to-grave adds distribution, use and disposal. Farm gate is a narrower agricultural boundary.
Further reading: ISO 14040 and ISO 14044
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