Device for filling liquid food products

A device for filling liquid to pasty food products into prefabricated individual containers including a respective support rim, the device comprising:

• carrier elements which are run by a drive through the device continuously, which carrier elements form receiving openings for the individual containers and include a top side that is oriented away from a direction of gravity and configured to carry the support rim of the individual containers that are inserted into the receiving openings;
• operating stations in whose operating range the carrier elements move during an endless cycle of the carrier elements in the device;
• at least one operating station that is configured as a sterilization device which de-germinates the carrier elements and the individual containers;
• a lifting device forming a portion of the sterilization device and configured to lift the individual containers that are seated in the receiving openings and which contact a top side with the respective support rim so that a gap is formed between the respective support rim and the carrier elements facilitating sterilization of the individual containers and the support elements;
• and
• a control that controls at least the lifting device,
• wherein the sterilization device is configured with at least one closure device which is configured to close the receiving openings of the carrier elements that do not include the individual containers during sterilization.