In-person training
16 days of in-person instruction divided into eight two-day blocks. 40 hours of foundational instruction and 80 hours of guided sensory practice.
INTERNATIONAL MEAT SENSORY PROGRAM · 2027
Assessing meat quality professionally.
The International Meat Sensory Program combines perception, description, evaluation, and calibration to build robust professional expertise.
For meat sommeliers, master butchers, purchasing, production, kitchen staff, quality assurance personnel, and experts who not only know meat but also want to evaluate it in a way that is transparent and reproducible on an international scale.
March through November 2027Part-timeTraining hubs in Germany and Austria
Professional meat sensory evaluation.
Internationally calibrated.
216 hoursProgram Scope
IMSPInternational Degree
24Curriculum Modules
216Required program hours
16In-person days
3Learning and Training Methods
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
One curriculum. Three interconnected learning spaces.
Professional sensory evaluation is not the result of individual tastings. It develops through repeated observation, reasoned description, documented comparison, and collaborative calibration based on reliable benchmarks.
Digital Learning
Eight hours per program month in Sensory-ID™: subject-matter content, assignments, documentation, and application.
Tasting Kiosk
One independent, four-hour tasting per program month, with structured data collection and analysis.
Core Program 2027
Comprehensive, designed to be taken while working, and focused on practical application.
- Duration
- March through November 2027
- Scope
- 24 curriculum modules · 216 required hours
- Attendance
- 16 days at training hubs in Germany and Austria
- Participation
- Exclusively business-to-business (B2B) transactions
- Program Fee
- 3,600 € net per person, plus applicable sales tax
FROM PERCEPTION TO REASONING
Sensory skills are developed, assessed, and compared.
The program combines personal perception with professional quality assessment. The common thread runs from the first impression to a technically sound decision.
Perception
Consciously process sensory impressions and distinguish between them and external disturbances.
Description
Describe flavors, texture, juiciness, and overall impression using reliable technical terminology.
Rating
Don't just talk about quality—back it up with clear criteria.
Calibration
Examine your own standards, compare them with references, and ensure that your judgments are reproducible.
Comparison
Compare and contrast products, origins, breeds, cuts, aging, and preparation methods.
Application
Apply these findings to purchasing, quality assurance, product development, consulting, and teaching.
CURRICULUM & SENSORY-ID™
Live tastings and the digital workplace are intertwined.
The in-person modules establish shared points of reference. Sensory-ID™ brings together tasks, foundational knowledge, tasting data, analyses, and personal perception profiles within a continuous work environment.
The independent tasting kiosk sessions apply this method to everyday professional practice. Observations are recorded in a structured manner, compared with product profiles, and utilized for the next calibration.
View the curriculum in detailSeven Areas of Expertise
- 01
Fundamentals of Professional Sensory Evaluation and Judgment
- 02
Descriptors, Meat Terminology, and Structured Descriptions
- 03
Calibration, Reference Frame, and Reproducibility
- 04
Meat Structure, Biology, Breeds, Cuts, and Quality Factors
- 05
Processing, Temperature, Aging, and Preparation
- 06
Professional Application, Communication, and Pedagogical Transfer
- 07
International Perspectives and Sensory Meat Cultures
INTERNATIONAL SPECIALIZATION
Comparison broadens the sensory frame of reference.
The core program in Germany and Austria provides the methodological foundation. Spain, Argentina, and Japan may voluntarily expand this framework to include distinctive meat-eating cultures and evaluation systems.
Spain
Aging, Ibérico, and Regional Meat Culture
Argentina
Beef Sensory Evaluation, Cuts, Production Systems, and Evaluation Traditions
Japan
Wagyu Sensory Characteristics, Marbling, Fat Quality, Mouthfeel, and Umami
The international specialization tracks are offered and billed separately. They are not included in the core program fee.
COMPLETION & CERTIFICATE
From the program to a professional degree.
ProgramInternational Meat Sensory Program
DegreeInternational Meat Sensory Professional (IMSP)
The final assessment combines a written and practical exam, documented calibration, and a sensory research paper. This tests not only knowledge but also the ability to make sensory decisions in a methodologically sound manner and to justify them professionally.
- At least 70% in-person attendance, equivalent to 84 out of 120 hours
- at least 70% of the available points in each exam component
- Proof of completion of the digital assignments and the required tastings at the tasting kiosk
- Certificate of Completion from M.E.A.T. GmbH
DIDACTIC FOUNDATION
Professional competence is developed through carefully designed learning processes.
The program is designed according to the CONEXXUS® Didactic Framework. Learning objectives, engagement, practical application, feedback, calibration, and transfer are not treated as separate elements, but rather as an integrated educational architecture.
The program design draws on Ronny Paulusch’s professional teaching and project experience, as well as his personal professional development in higher education pedagogy at the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard University. The IMSP is not a program of Harvard University.
The program is offered by M.E.A.T. GmbH, which also issues the certificate of completion.
IMSP 2027
Further develop meat sensory evaluation professionally and internationally.
Binding registration and all current program information are available via IMSP.pro. For technical or organizational questions, please contact the program team at contact@imsp.pro.