Abstract:To investigate the effects of graded-sugar treatments on the quality of hickory kernels, the initial quality attributes, including sensory quality, textural properties, and moisture content, as well as quality changes during storage, including sensory attributes, acid value, and peroxide value, were evaluated in hickory kernels subjected to different sugar treatment levels. The results showed that increasing the sugar treatment level increased the moisture content and deepened the color of roasted hickory kernels; however, neither sensory scores nor textural properties exhibited a simple linear relationship with sugar level. Hickory kernels treated with 9%–10% sugar received relatively high sensory scores and exhibited moderate fracture force and relatively high overall hardness, resulting in good palatability. During storage, kernels treated with 6%–8% sugar maintained relatively good stability throughout the storage period, whereas those treated with 9%–10% sugar showed only gradual increases in acid and peroxide values during the early stage of storage, followed by accelerated quality deterioration after 40 days as storage time increased. Overall, graded-sugar treatments were associated with changes in the quality characteristics of hickory kernels, and these findings provide a theoretical basis for optimizing the quality of hickory kernel.