Julien Delarue

Julien Delarue is an Associate Professor in Sensory & Consumer Science at the University of California, Davis. Formerly a Professor at AgroParisTech (Université Paris-Saclay), he specializes in sensory perception, consumer preferences, and contextual influences on food evaluation. His work integrates immersive environments and digital tools to study how context shapes hedonic measures and drives healthy/sustainable food choices.

Research Focus: Delarue's studies address sensory determinants of food preferences, leveraging methods like rapid profiling and contextual testing. He explores category labels' impact on consumer expectations, sensory complexity in desserts, and the role of non-verbal evaluation (e.g., facial expressions) in assessing novel products.

Leadership: He served as Chair of the French Society for Sensory Analysis (SFAS) and the European Sensory Science Society (E3S), advocating for rigorous methodologies in sensory evaluation. His interdisciplinary approach bridges food science, consumer behavior, and data science.

Key Themes: Publications emphasize ecological validity in testing, sensory-led reformulation (e.g., cookies, pizzas), and the interplay between product context and perception. Recent work investigates non-dairy milk labeling, sports nutrition products, and child food preferences.