FDST-MDS study guide
FDST-MDS · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
FDST-MDS is a food science and technology credential aimed at people who need to demonstrate working knowledge across the whole production chain rather than deep expertise in a single laboratory technique. Candidates typically include QA and QC staff, production supervisors, product development technologists, and food safety coordinators who move between bench work, plant floor decisions, and documentation. The FDST-MDS study guide has 9 sections and about 3,191 words.
01Food Safety and Regulatory Compliance
This domain tests whether you can turn food law and preventive-control frameworks into defensible plant decisions: HACCP logic, FSMA preventive controls, cGMPs, allergen control, and recall classification. Expect scenario questions where a record, a label, or a deviation must be judged against a specific rule.
366 words, about 2 min02Food Microbiology and Spoilage
This domain tests microbial growth kinetics, intrinsic and extrinsic factors, spoilage versus pathogen risk, and thermal-death calculations. Questions often ask you to predict which organism dominates a food system or to compute a process equivalent.
321 words, about 2 min03Food Chemistry and Composition
This domain tests the chemistry behind observable food changes: water activity, browning reactions, lipid oxidation, protein behavior, starch and pectin functionality, and enzymatic reactions. Expect questions that ask you to name the mechanism behind a defect or a desirable attribute.
346 words, about 2 min04Food Processing and Preservation Technologies
This domain tests how preservation steps inactivate or inhibit microorganisms and enzymes, and how process choice follows food pH, water activity, and packaging. Expect questions comparing pasteurization, commercial sterility, chilling, drying, high pressure, and irradiation.
344 words, about 2 min05Quality Assurance and Quality Control Systems
This domain tests how quality is planned, measured, and corrected: QA versus QC, sampling plans, calibration, statistical process control, root-cause analysis, and document control. Expect questions that distinguish a system failure from a product failure.
352 words, about 2 min06Sensory Evaluation and Product Development
This domain tests how sensory tests are selected, designed, and interpreted: panel types, discriminative and descriptive methods, hedonic testing, and the controls that keep responses unbiased. Expect questions asking which test answers a specific product-development question.
361 words, about 2 min07Packaging, Storage, and Shelf-Life
This domain tests how package materials and storage conditions control moisture, oxygen, light, and microbial growth, and how shelf life is established. Expect questions on barrier properties, modified atmosphere, active packaging, and accelerated shelf-life testing.
357 words, about 2 min08Nutrition and Labeling
This domain tests the Nutrition Facts panel, serving sizes, ingredient statements, allergen declarations, and claims. Expect questions that require you to calculate a percent Daily Value or decide whether a claim is permitted.
386 words, about 2 min09Sanitation, Hygiene, and Facility Operations
This domain tests cleaning and sanitizing chemistry, verification methods, environmental monitoring, hygienic design, and facility traffic patterns. Expect questions that ask why a sanitizer failed or how a sanitation program is verified.
358 words, about 2 min