WACE ATAR Food Science and Technology study plan
WACE ATAR Food Science and Technology · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Food science principles: nutrients, food chemistry and food properties
Classify the six major nutrient groups and describe their chemical structure and functional role in food systems
Explain how water activity, pH and temperature govern the behaviour of carbohydrates, proteins and fats during preparation
Distinguish between gelatinisation, dextrinisation, caramelisation and Maillard browning with a worked kitchen example of each
Summarise the chemistry of protein denaturation, coagulation and gluten development and link each to a specific food product outcome
Your checkpoint
A one-page annotated nutrient-and-reaction matrix covering all six nutrient groups and four browning/gel reactions, each with a food example and the condition that triggers it
Food science principles: nutrients, food chemistry and food properties & Food product development, design and technology processes
Analyse how sensory properties (texture, mouthfeel, aroma, colour) are measured and how they drive product acceptability
Apply the stages of the product development cycle from brief and concept screening through prototyping to launch
Construct a product design brief that specifies a target consumer, a nutritional constraint and a sensory specification
Evaluate a commercial product against its own label claims using food chemistry reasoning
Your checkpoint
A complete product design brief for an original food product, including target consumer, sensory specification, nutritional constraint and three measurable success criteria
Food product development, design and technology processes & Food production, processing and preservation technologies
Compare unit operations used in food manufacture (mixing, homogenisation, extrusion, thermal processing) by their effect on food structure
Explain the principles of preservation by heat, low temperature, reduced water activity, acidification and modified atmosphere
Select and justify a preservation method for a given product based on its composition and shelf-life target
Describe how packaging material choice interacts with preservation strategy and product shelf life
Your checkpoint
A process flow diagram for the week 2 product showing every unit operation, the preservation principle applied at each step, and the packaging decision with justification
Food safety, hygiene and risk management
Identify biological, chemical and physical food hazards and rank their risk using likelihood and severity
Explain the role of temperature control, personal hygiene and cleaning in breaking the contamination chain
Interpret HACCP principles and construct a hazard analysis table for a chosen production process
Distinguish between food safety risk assessment and quality assurance and state where each applies
Your checkpoint
A hazard analysis table with at least six identified hazards, their control measures, critical limits and monitoring actions, plus a written risk ranking
Nutrition, health and consumer food choices & Food safety, hygiene and risk management
Interpret nutrition information panels and ingredient lists to compare products against dietary guidelines
Explain how labelling regulation, health claims and fortification rules constrain what a manufacturer may state
Analyse the influences on consumer food choice including cost, culture, convenience, health literacy and marketing
Evaluate a food safety incident scenario and propose the corrective actions a manufacturer should take
Your checkpoint
A comparative consumer report on three similar supermarket products, comparing nutrition panels, claims and ingredient lists against dietary guidelines and flagging any compliance issues
Sustainable food systems, ethics and food policy
Trace a food commodity through its supply chain and identify environmental, economic and social impacts at each stage
Compare food waste reduction, water efficiency and alternative protein strategies by their measurable outcomes
Debate an ethical food issue using evidence, distinguishing stakeholder positions from factual claims
Explain how food policy instruments such as standards, subsidies and labelling law shape production and consumption
Your checkpoint
A 400-word evidence-based position statement on one ethical or sustainability issue in food production, citing at least four distinct stakeholder perspectives and the relevant policy instrument
Practical food skills, investigation and evaluation & Food product development, design and technology processes
Design a controlled food investigation with a testable hypothesis, defined variables and a repeatable method
Collect and present sensory and physical measurement data using appropriate tables and graphs
Evaluate experimental reliability and validity and identify sources of error in food testing
Apply a structured sensory evaluation method and interpret the results against the product specification
Your checkpoint
A full investigation report with hypothesis, method, results table, graph and a 200-word evaluation of validity, reliability and error sources
Food science principles: nutrients, food chemistry and food properties & Food safety, hygiene and risk management & Food product development, design and technology processes & Food production, processing and preservation technologies & Nutrition, health and consumer food choices & Sustainable food systems, ethics and food policy & Practical food skills, investigation and evaluation
Consolidate all seven domains into a single concept map linking chemistry, safety, processing and consumer outcomes
Complete timed practice under exam conditions across all domains and mark against the criteria
Diagnose the two weakest domains from practice results and re-teach those specific gaps
Rehearse structured extended-response answers that integrate evidence from more than one domain
Your checkpoint
A completed practice paper with a self-marked score breakdown by domain and a one-page remediation sheet targeting the two weakest areas
Milestones
Week 2: Can explain every browning and gel reaction and map each to a real product without notes; product design brief meets all four required components
Week 4: Hazard analysis table scores at least six hazards with valid critical limits, and the risk ranking is defensible on likelihood and severity
Week 6: Position statement cites four stakeholder perspectives and names the relevant policy instrument; no unsupported factual claims remain
Week 8: Practice paper completed within time, all seven domains attempted, and remediation sheet identifies two specific gaps with an action for each