Examius

🇮🇳 CFTRI M.Sc. (Food Technology) · subject

CFTRI M.Sc. (Food Technology) Microbiology Syllabus

Every chapter and topic of Microbiology examined in CFTRI M.Sc. (Food Technology) — 7 chapters, 5 topics, plus 51 flashcards written against it.

7Chapters
5Topics
0Sub-topics
~4hEst. first pass
7%Of CFTRI M.Sc. (Food Technology)
51Flashcards

Microbiology syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Microbiology in CFTRI M.Sc. (Food Technology), not a summary of it.

  1. Historical development in Microbiology

     2 topics
    • Morphology
    • Cytology

  2. Reproduction and genetics of bacteria, yeasts and moulds

     overview

    Examined as a single unit within Microbiology — no further topic split in the official outline.

  3. Culture technique and identification

     1 topic
    • Stains and staining techniques

  4. Growth, Nutrition and physiology of micro-organisms

     overview

    Examined as a single unit within Microbiology — no further topic split in the official outline.

  5. Economic importance of bacteria, yeast and moulds

     2 topics
    • Food contamination, control and food safety
    • General principles of food preservation

  6. Microbiological standards for foods

     overview

    Examined as a single unit within Microbiology — no further topic split in the official outline.

  7. Industrial Microbiology

     overview

    Examined as a single unit within Microbiology — no further topic split in the official outline.

Microbiology flashcards for CFTRI M.Sc. (Food Technology)

24 of 51 cards from the Microbiology deck — real questions with worked answers.

  1. What are the three basic shapes of bacteria based on morphology?

    Cocci (spherical), bacilli (rod-shaped), and spiral forms (spirillum/vibrio/spirochete).

  2. What is the difference between a coccus and a bacillus?

    A coccus is a spherical/round bacterium, while a bacillus is a rod-shaped (cylindrical) bacterium.

  3. Name the cocci arrangements and the plane of division that produces each.

    Diplococci (one plane, pairs), streptococci (one plane, chains), tetrads (two planes, fours), sarcina (three planes, cubes of 8), staphylococci (irregular planes, grape-like clusters).

  4. What is a vibrio, and give a food-relevant example?

    A vibrio is a short, comma-shaped (curved rod) bacterium; example: Vibrio cholerae (and seafood-borne Vibrio parahaemolyticus).

  5. Distinguish a spirillum from a spirochete.

    A spirillum is a rigid, helical/spiral rod that moves with external flagella; a spirochete is a flexible, slender helical cell that moves with internal axial filaments (endoflagella).

  6. What is pleomorphism in bacteria?

    The ability of some bacteria to vary in shape and size under different conditions instead of having a single fixed form.

  7. What are the typical size ranges of bacteria, yeasts, and molds?

    Bacteria are roughly 0.5-2 micrometers; yeasts about 5-10 micrometers; mold hyphae about 5-10 micrometers in diameter (molds form large multicellular structures).

  8. What is the chemical basis of the Gram-positive versus Gram-negative cell wall?

    Gram-positive cells have a thick peptidoglycan layer with teichoic acids; Gram-negative cells have a thin peptidoglycan layer plus an outer membrane containing lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

  9. What is the function of the bacterial capsule (glycocalyx)?

    It protects against desiccation and phagocytosis, aids adherence to surfaces (biofilms), and contributes to virulence.

  10. What is the chemical composition of bacterial flagella, and what is their function?

    Flagella are made of the protein flagellin and provide motility by rotating like a propeller.

  11. Define the flagellar arrangements: monotrichous, lophotrichous, amphitrichous, and peritrichous.

    Monotrichous = single polar flagellum; lophotrichous = a tuft at one pole; amphitrichous = flagella at both poles; peritrichous = flagella distributed all over the surface.

  12. What is the difference between fimbriae and sex pili?

    Fimbriae are numerous short appendages used for attachment to surfaces; sex (F) pili are longer, fewer appendages used to transfer DNA during bacterial conjugation.

  13. What is the bacterial nucleoid?

    The irregular region of the cytoplasm containing the single, circular, double-stranded DNA chromosome; it is not membrane-bound.

  14. What is a plasmid and why is it important in food microbiology?

    A plasmid is a small, circular, extrachromosomal DNA molecule that replicates independently; it often carries antibiotic-resistance or toxin/virulence genes.

  15. How do bacterial (70S) ribosomes differ from eukaryotic (80S) ribosomes?

    Bacterial ribosomes are 70S (composed of 30S and 50S subunits); eukaryotic ribosomes are 80S (40S and 60S subunits). The 70S difference is a target for many antibiotics.

  16. What is a bacterial endospore and which two genera commonly form them?

    An endospore is a dormant, highly resistant survival structure formed within the cell; chiefly formed by Bacillus and Clostridium.

  17. Why are bacterial endospores critically important in food preservation?

    They resist heat, desiccation, radiation, and chemicals, so they can survive ordinary cooking/pasteurization and later germinate, causing spoilage or poisoning (e.g., Clostridium botulinum).

  18. What is dipicolinic acid and what is its role in endospores?

    Calcium dipicolinate is a compound found in the spore core that binds water and contributes to the heat resistance and dormancy of endospores.

  19. What are inclusion bodies in bacteria? Give two examples.

    Inclusion bodies are intracellular storage granules of reserve materials; examples include volutin (metachromatic) granules of polyphosphate and poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) lipid granules; glycogen is also stored.

  20. What is the chemical nature of the bacterial cell membrane, and how does it differ from eukaryotic membranes?

    It is a phospholipid bilayer with proteins (fluid mosaic); unlike eukaryotic membranes, most bacterial membranes lack sterols (mycoplasmas are an exception).

  21. What molecule makes Gram-negative bacteria's outer membrane endotoxic?

    Lipopolysaccharide (LPS); its lipid A portion acts as the endotoxin.

  22. What is peptidoglycan (murein) made of?

    Repeating units of N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) and N-acetylmuramic acid (NAM) cross-linked by short peptide chains.

  23. What is the purpose of staining microorganisms?

    To increase contrast so cells (which are nearly transparent and colorless) are visible under the microscope, and to reveal shape, size, arrangement, and specific structures.

  24. What is the difference between a simple stain and a differential stain?

    A simple stain uses one dye to show overall shape/size/arrangement; a differential stain uses multiple reagents to distinguish between groups of cells or cell structures (e.g., Gram, acid-fast).

See more Microbiology flashcards →

Planning Microbiology for CFTRI M.Sc. (Food Technology)

Microbiology is about 7% of the CFTRI M.Sc. (Food Technology) syllabus by topic count — 5 of 76 topics, spread over 7 chapters. At roughly 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic, a first pass runs to about 4 hours.

The heaviest chapters are Historical development in Microbiology (2 topics), Economic importance of bacteria, yeast and moulds (2 topics), Culture technique and identification (1 topics) . Front-load those while your energy is high; the short chapters are better revision filler later.

Work top-down: read the chapter, then tick topics off individually rather than marking the whole chapter done. Sub-topics are where silent gaps hide.

Microbiology (CFTRI M.Sc. (Food Technology)) FAQ

What is in the CFTRI M.Sc. (Food Technology) Microbiology syllabus?

Microbiology is split into 7 chapters — Historical development in Microbiology, Reproduction and genetics of bacteria, yeasts and moulds, Culture technique and identification, Growth, Nutrition and physiology of micro-organisms, Economic importance of bacteria, yeast and moulds and Microbiological standards for foods, and 1 more, containing 5 topics and 0 sub-topics in total.

How many chapters are there in Microbiology for CFTRI M.Sc. (Food Technology)?

7 chapters. Microbiology accounts for about 7% of the topics in the whole CFTRI M.Sc. (Food Technology) syllabus (5 of 76).

How long should I spend on Microbiology for CFTRI M.Sc. (Food Technology)?

Budget around 4 hours for a first pass through Microbiology — about 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic across its 5 topics. Add revision cycles on top.

Are there flashcards for CFTRI M.Sc. (Food Technology) Microbiology?

Yes — a 51-card Microbiology deck. Sample cards are printed on this page, and the full deck is free in the Examius app with spaced repetition scheduling.