Abstract: In order to investigate the influence of the processing process on the quality of Carya cathayensis Sarg. products, taking acid value, peroxide value and sensory score as evaluation indexes, the single-factor tests on key factors such as raw material origin, raw material moisture content, killing temperature, killing time, maceration time, material-liquid ratio, re-drying temperature and re-drying time were conducted, and the orthogonal test to optimize the processing parameters of Carya cathayensis Sarg. was further designed. The results showed that the best raw material for Carya cathayensis Sarg. was Lin’an hickory, and its moisture content should be controlled at 8%, and the best processing parameters were as follows: killing temperature of 150 ℃, killing time of 30 min, maceration time of 3 min, material-liquid ratio of 1∶3 (g∶mL), re-drying temperature of 150 ℃ and re-drying time of 80 min. It was proved that the sensory quality of Carya cathayensis Sarg. products under this process condition were better, the colour was even and glossy, the meat kernel was golden yellow, the baking aroma was strong, the taste was crunchy, the hardness was moderate, and the acid value and peroxide value were lower, which could effectively maintain the quality of Carya cathayensis Sarg. products and enhance the competitiveness of the products in the market.

Key words: Carya cathayensis Sarg., processing process, quality, process optimization