Maharashtra HSC Multi-Skill Food Processing (NSQF) study plan

Classify at least 15 unit operations (cleaning, sorting, grading, blanching, size reduction, mixing, evaporation, drying, freezing) and give one industrial example of each.

Distinguish physical, chemical and biological hazards and match each hazard type to a specific control used on a processing line.

Reproduce the seven HACCP principles in correct order and build a hazard-analysis table for one product such as bottled mango juice.

Explain the FSSAI Registration, State and Central licence tiers and list the documents a small food unit must file.

Solve 10 numerical problems on process yield, percentage loss and material balance without referring to the textbook.

Compare six preservation methods (thermal, low-temperature, drying, osmotic, chemical, irradiation) on principle, typical equipment and nutrient loss.

Explain how water activity, pH and temperature decide whether Clostridium botulinum, Staphylococcus aureus or spoilage moulds can grow, and state the prevention step for each.

Draw the wheat milling sequence from cleaning and conditioning through break, reduction and sifting, labelling bran, semolina, maida and atta streams.

Describe rice parboiling and pigeon-pea dal milling step by step, naming the losses and saleable by-products at each stage.

Contrast expeller pressing with solvent extraction for oilseeds and state why degumming and refining are needed.

Explain juice extraction and the making of RTS beverage, squash, jam, jelly and marmalade, showing the role of TSS, acidity and pectin.

Calculate a jam batch formula for a 45% TSS product from given pulp, sugar and pectin quantities, and check the end point.

List milk constituents with average percentages and apply the Pearson square to standardise 3.5% fat milk from cream and skim milk.

Sequence HTST pasteurisation and UHT sterilisation, and describe the manufacture of butter, ghee, paneer and curd with their critical parameters.

Diagnose defects such as fat separation, souring and burnt flavour by naming the process fault that causes each.

Describe ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection, the stages of rigor mortis, and the chilling temperatures required for meat, poultry and fish.

Explain curing, smoking and canning of meat, and list the factors used to grade and store eggs.

Sequence bread making from mixing through fermentation, proofing and baking, and state what gluten, yeast, salt and fat each contribute.

Explain biscuit and cake mixing methods, the sugar-boiling stages (thread, soft ball, hard crack) and extrusion-frying of snack pellets.

Convert a bread or biscuit recipe to baker's percentage and scale it to a 50 kg flour batch.

Compare glass, tinplate, plastic films, laminates and paperboard on barrier properties, cost and suitability for three named products.

Explain vacuum, modified-atmosphere, aseptic and retort packaging, and justify the correct choice for three different products.

List every FSSAI mandatory label declaration and draft a compliant label for one product, including the vegetarian or non-vegetarian mark.

Describe sampling, moisture, pH, titratable acidity, TSS and sensory evaluation procedures and record plausible result ranges.

Map the waste streams of a fruit processing unit and match each to a treatment route: effluent plant, composting or by-product recovery.

Draft a business plan for a small unit such as ready-to-eat snacks, covering capital cost, operating cost, break-even quantity and selling price.

List the licences and registrations a new unit needs, including FSSAI, Udyam/MSME, GST and local permissions, with the purpose of each.

Summarise PMFME and PMEGP support in one line each, stating who is eligible and what the assistance covers.

Apply PPE selection, fire safety, electrical safety and first-aid steps to three realistic workplace scenarios.

Convert one waste stream, such as fruit peel or whey, into a by-product revenue line and show the earning calculation.

Sit a timed 100-question full-length mock across all 11 domains and tabulate accuracy domain by domain.

Redo every missed cereal, pulse, oilseed, fruit and vegetable question and write the correct rule in one line each.

Re-solve eight mixed numerical items on milling yield, juice recovery, TSS adjustment and batch costing under time pressure.

Recall the flow diagrams of wheat milling, dal milling and fruit jam production from blank paper in under ten minutes.

Sit a second timed full-length mock and compare domain-wise accuracy against the week-7 baseline.

Restate the seven HACCP principles, GMP, GHP and cleaning-in-place steps from memory and correct any gaps immediately.

Run flashcard recall on the lighter domains (7, 8, 9, 11) until every card is answered correctly twice.

Compress spoilage limits, preservation methods, test procedures and label rules into a single revision sheet.