WBPSC Food SI cheat sheet

Macronutrients: carbohydrates 4 kcal/g, proteins 4 kcal/g, fats 9 kcal/g; vitamins and minerals supply no energy.

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is water-soluble, heat-labile, and destroyed by prolonged cooking; deficiency causes scurvy.

Vitamin A deficiency causes night blindness and xerophthalmia; vitamin D deficiency causes rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults.

Food spoilage bacteria: Clostridium botulinum is anaerobic and heat-resistant; its toxin is destroyed by boiling for 10 minutes.

Maillard reaction: non-enzymatic browning between reducing sugars and amino acids, producing brown colour and flavour.

Caramelisation is thermal decomposition of sugars alone; it does not require proteins.

Pasteurisation of milk: 63°C for 30 minutes (LTLT) or 72°C for 15 seconds (HTST); UHT is 135-150°C for 2-4 seconds.

Enzymatic browning in fruits is caused by polyphenol oxidase; ascorbic acid or blanching inhibits it.

pH scale: below 4.6 is acid/low-acid boundary relevant to Clostridium botulinum control in canned foods.

Five keys to safer food (WHO): keep clean; separate raw and cooked; cook thoroughly; keep food at safe temperatures; use safe water and raw materials.

Danger zone for bacterial growth: 5°C to 60°C; keep cold foods below 5°C and hot foods above 60°C.

HACCP has seven principles: hazard analysis, CCP identification, critical limits, monitoring, corrective actions, verification, record-keeping.

A CCP is a step where control is essential to prevent, eliminate, or reduce a significant hazard to an acceptable level.

Cross-contamination is prevented by separate chopping boards, utensils, and storage for raw and cooked foods.

Food handlers must be free of open wounds and report diarrhoea, jaundice, or vomiting; handwashing is mandatory.

FSSAI is the apex food regulator in India, established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

Adulterants: metanil yellow in turmeric, lead chromate in turmeric, sawdust in chilli powder, starch in milk.

Pesticide residues and aflatoxins (from Aspergillus flavus) are chemical contaminants monitored in food safety surveillance.

FSSAI operates under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

FSSAI licence categories: Basic Registration (turnover up to ₹12 lakh), State Licence (₹12 lakh to ₹20 crore), Central Licence (above ₹20 crore or importers/exporters).

Agmark is a quality certification mark for agricultural products, administered by the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection.

ISI mark is the BIS certification mark for industrial products; mandatory for packaged drinking water and some foods.

Codex Alimentarius Commission sets international food standards under FAO and WHO.

ISO 22000 is an international food safety management system standard based on HACCP principles.

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) cover hygiene, plant layout, and personnel; Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) cover sanitation.

Food label mandatory information: name, ingredients, net quantity, nutrition information, FSSAI licence number, best-before/use-by date.

Total Quality Management (TQM) focuses on continuous improvement, customer satisfaction, and employee involvement.

FSSAI was established in 2008 under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

The National Food Security Act, 2013 provides subsidised food grains to priority households and Antyodaya families.

Eat Right India is an FSSAI initiative promoting healthy and safe food choices.

The Green Revolution in India is associated with M.S. Swaminathan and high-yielding wheat and rice varieties.

The Food Corporation of India (FCI) procures and stores food grains for the Public Distribution System.

World Food Day is observed on 16 October; World Health Day on 7 April.

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2023 was awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for mRNA vaccine technology.

Chandrayaan-3 landed near the lunar south pole on 23 August 2023; India became the first country to do so.

The 2024 Summer Olympics were held in Paris, France.

Percentage change = (new value − old value) / old value × 100.

Simple Interest = P × R × T / 100; Compound Amount = P(1 + R/100)^T.

Profit% = (SP − CP)/CP × 100; Loss% = (CP − SP)/CP × 100.

Average = sum of observations / number of observations.

Speed = distance / time; 1 km/h = 5/18 m/s.

Work: if A finishes in x days and B in y days, together they finish in xy/(x+y) days.

Ratio a:b = c:d implies ad = bc; divide a quantity in ratio a:b by parts a/(a+b) and b/(a+b).

Area of circle = πr²; circumference = 2πr; area of triangle = ½ × base × height.

LCM × HCF = product of two numbers.

Subject-verb agreement: a singular subject takes a singular verb; 'each', 'every', 'either', 'neither' take singular verbs.

Articles: 'a' before consonant sounds, 'an' before vowel sounds, 'the' for specific or unique nouns.

Prepositions of time: 'in' for months/years, 'on' for days/dates, 'at' for exact times.

Active to passive: object becomes subject; verb becomes 'be + past participle'; agent introduced by 'by'.

Direct to indirect speech: present tense changes to past; 'today' becomes 'that day'; 'tomorrow' becomes 'the next day'.

Commonly confused words: affect (verb) vs effect (noun); principal (head) vs principle (rule); stationary (fixed) vs stationery (paper).

Synonyms: abundant = plentiful; diligent = hardworking; candid = frank.

Antonyms: scarce ≠ abundant; optimistic ≠ pessimistic; transparent ≠ opaque.

Idioms: 'a piece of cake' = very easy; 'once in a blue moon' = very rarely; 'bite the bullet' = endure a difficult situation.

Number series: check differences, then ratios, then squares/cubes, then alternating patterns.

Coding-decoding: letter positions A=1 to Z=26; reverse position = 27 − position.

Blood relations: draw a family tree; use + for male, − for female, horizontal line for siblings, vertical for parent-child.

Direction sense: draw compass; right turn = clockwise 90°, left turn = anticlockwise 90°.

Syllogism: use Venn diagrams; 'All A are B' does not imply 'All B are A'.

Analogy: identify the relationship (part-whole, cause-effect, synonym) and apply to the options.

Odd one out: look for a common property shared by all but one item.

Calendar: odd days in a year = 1 (ordinary), 2 (leap); odd days in 100 years = 5, in 400 years = 0.

Clock: angle between hands = |30H − 5.5M| degrees.

The Constitution of India was adopted on 26 November 1949 and came into force on 26 January 1950.

Fundamental Rights are in Part III (Articles 12-35); Right to Constitutional Remedies is Article 32.

Directive Principles of State Policy are in Part IV (Articles 36-51); they are non-justiciable.

Fundamental Duties are in Part IVA (Article 51A), added by the 42nd Amendment Act, 1976.

The President is the constitutional head of state; the Prime Minister is the head of government.

The Election Commission of India is a constitutional body under Article 324.

The Right to Food is derived from Article 21 (Right to Life) and the National Food Security Act, 2013.

The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 gave constitutional status to Panchayati Raj institutions.

The Indian Parliament consists of the President, Rajya Sabha, and Lok Sabha.

West Bengal shares borders with Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Sikkim, Assam, and the countries Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan.

The Tropic of Cancer passes through West Bengal, near Krishnanagar and Ranaghat.

Major rivers of West Bengal: Ganga (Hooghly), Damodar, Teesta, Mahananda, and Ajay.

The Sundarbans is the world's largest mangrove delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Ramsar site.

India's principal food crops: rice (kharif) and wheat (rabi); West Bengal is a leading producer of rice and potatoes.

GDP is the total market value of final goods and services produced within a country in a year.

Inflation is a sustained rise in the general price level; it reduces purchasing power.

The Reserve Bank of India is the central bank, established in 1935 and nationalised in 1949.

Green Revolution technologies increased food grain output through HYV seeds, irrigation, and fertilisers.

West Bengal was formed as a state on 1 November 1956; its capital is Kolkata.

The state has 23 districts; the Sundarbans and Darjeeling hills are distinctive ecological zones.

Principal languages: Bengali and English; Nepali is also spoken in the Darjeeling hills.

State animal: fishing cat; state bird: white-throated kingfisher; state flower: shiuli (night-flowering jasmine); state tree: chatim (Alstonia scholaris).

Major festivals: Durga Puja, Kali Puja, Poila Baisakh (Bengali New Year), and Rath Yatra.

Darjeeling tea is a Geographical Indication (GI) product of West Bengal.

The Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) is a multipurpose river valley project modelled on the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Kolkata is known as the 'City of Joy' and was the capital of British India until 1911.

The state's economy relies on agriculture (rice, jute, tea), small-scale industry, and services.