Method and arrangement for sterilizing edible nuts

An arrangement for sterilizing whole nuts comprising:

• a pre-cooking unit, and
• a sterilizing line;
• wherein said pre-cooking unit is configured to pre-cook said nuts to a core temperature T1 at a pressure PI for a time t1;
• said sterilizing line is configured to sterilize said nuts by transporting said nuts through a sequence of process devices, said sequence of process devices comprising in order of passage of said nuts through said sterilizing line, a reservoir, at least one feed pump, a consecutive arrangement of heat exchangers, and a filling machine and/or an aseptic tank;
• said arrangement further comprising:
• a control unit operatively connected to said pre-cooking unit and said sterilizing line, said control unit configured to control said pre-cooking unit and said sterilizing line for:
• pre-cooking said nuts in said pre-cooking unit to a core temperature T1 at a pressure PI for a time t1;
• and
• sterilizing said nuts in said sterilizing line by mixing said nuts in said reservoir with a carrier liquid, said carrier liquid at least comprising water, thereby forming a pumpable, slurry-like mixture of nuts and carrier liquid;
• pumping said slurry-like mixture using said at least one feed pump through said consecutive arrangement of heat exchangers, where in a first arrangement of heat exchangers said carrier liquid is heated to a sterilizing temperature T2 and, when said sterilizing temperature T2 is reached, said sterilizing temperature T2 is maintained essentially constant by a second arrangement of heat exchangers for a predetermined sterilization time t2 while said nuts are being sterilized, after which said slurry-like mixture is pumped through a third arrangement of heat exchangers wherein said slurry-like mixture is cooled to a storage temperature T3;
• and
• pumping said slurry-like mixture having said storage temperature T3, to said filling machine for filling, or to said aseptic tank to be held for later filling.