Muhammad Fahad Khan
Food scientist and founder of Brix & Batch. MSc, Food Science and Engineering, Guangdong Ocean University, China.
About
Muhammad Fahad Khan is a food scientist with a master’s degree in Food Science and Engineering from Guangdong Ocean University, China. His research experience covers marine polysaccharides, fish gelatin, food packaging and food safety, with a focus on how ingredients and packaging materials affect food quality and shelf life.
He founded Brix & Batch to connect food science with the practical questions asked in QC laboratories and food factories, and he writes and reviews the guides published on this site.
Education
- Master’s degree (MSc) in Food Science and Engineering, Guangdong Ocean University, China
Areas of expertise
Food science and technology, food science and engineering, marine polysaccharides, fish gelatin, food packaging, food safety.
Research profile
Publications and citations are listed on Google Scholar.
Guides by Muhammad Fahad Khan
- Food Science
Water Activity vs Moisture Content: What's the Difference and Why It Matters
A clear explanation of water activity (aw) and moisture content, the microbial growth limits that depend on aw, typical values for common foods and how aw is measured in the lab.
- Lab & QC Guides
Troubleshooting Viscosity Problems in Sauces and Dressings
Why sauces come out too thin, too thick or weep water, how to measure consistency properly with a rotational viscometer or Bostwick consistometer, and a factory troubleshooting checklist.
- Lab & QC Guides
Shelf-Life Testing for Food Products: How to Design a Study That Holds Up
How to plan real-time and accelerated shelf-life studies, choose end-of-life criteria, build a sampling schedule and use Q10 correctly, with a worked example.
- Food Science
Hurdle Technology Explained with Factory Examples
How combining mild preservation factors such as pH, water activity, heat, preservatives and chilling keeps food stable, with worked product examples and the rules for designing a hurdle system safely.
- HACCP & ISO 22000
How to Write a HACCP Plan: The 12 Steps and 7 Principles with a Worked Example
A step-by-step guide to building a HACCP plan using the Codex 12-step sequence, with a worked example for a hot-filled tomato sauce, a CCP table and the documentation auditors expect.
- Lab & QC Guides
How to Measure pH in Food Products: Calibration, Sample Prep and Common Errors
A practical pH method for food QC labs based on 21 CFR 114.90 and AOAC practice, covering calibration, sample preparation for liquids, solids and oily foods, electrode care and troubleshooting.
- Lab & QC Guides
How to Measure Brix in Tomato Ketchup (and Why Your Reading Isn't Sugar)
A QC-lab method for measuring refractometric Brix in ketchup and thick sauces, with sample preparation, dilution maths, salt effects and the most common sources of error.
- Food Safety
How to Control Allergen Cross-Contact on Shared Production Lines
A practical allergen management programme for factories that run allergen-containing and allergen-free products on the same equipment, covering risk assessment, scheduling, cleaning validation, testing and labelling across US, UK, EU, Canadian and Australian rules.
- Food Additives
How to Choose a Food Preservative: Sorbate, Benzoate, Propionate, Nisin and Natamycin Compared
A product developer's guide to selecting preservatives by pH, target organism, product type and regulation, with the pKa science that explains why sorbate and benzoate fail in low-acid foods.
- Lab & QC Guides
How to Calculate Moisture Content in Food (Wet Basis, Dry Basis and Worked Examples)
Oven-drying method, wet- and dry-basis formulas, worked examples and a troubleshooting table for food moisture analysis in QC labs.
- Food Processing
How Pasteurization Affects Food Quality: HTST, UHT and Hot Fill Compared
What pasteurization does to flavour, colour, nutrients and texture in milk, juice and sauces, how HTST, UHT and hot-fill processes differ, and how D, z and F values let you balance safety against quality.
- HACCP & ISO 22000
HACCP vs ISO 22000 vs FSSC 22000: Which One Does Your Business Need?
A plain comparison of HACCP, ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000, how they relate to GFSI, BRCGS and SQF, and how to choose the right system for regulators and retail customers.
- Careers
Food Quality Control Technician: Job Description, Skills and Interview Questions
What a food QC technician does day to day, the skills and qualifications employers look for, how QC differs from QA, career progression, where to find reliable salary data, and the interview questions you should prepare for.
- Food Additives
E-Numbers Explained: How the Food Additive Numbering System Works
What E-numbers mean, how the ranges are organised by function, how they relate to the international INS system, and how food additives are labelled in the EU, UK, US, Canada and Australia.
- Food Safety
Acid, Acidified and Low-Acid Foods: The pH 4.6 Rule Explained
Why pH 4.6 is the critical line for shelf-stable foods, how US regulations classify acid, acidified and low-acid canned foods, and what each category means for processing, testing and registration.