A method for the treatment of heat-sensitive liquid food products, in which steam directly heats the liquid food product in order to form a sterile state in an infuser vessel (50; 50*, 500), in which water in an amount corresponding to that of the previously supplied steam is removed from the liquid food product by decompression to a lower pressure, in which the liquid food product is subjected to a conveyance between the heating and the decompression by means of a first conveying apparatus configured as a centrifugal pump, and in which, following the direct heating, the following treatment steps (a) and (b) are provided: the liquid food product (a) is subjected to a first cooling at least on the vessel floor (50.2) of the infuser vessel (50; 50*, 500) up to an outlet opening (50.3) located there; (b) is subjected to a second cooling in a tubular section (52, 76) immediately adjoining the outlet opening (50.3), which tubular section is formed either by an outlet pipe leading out of the infuser vessel (50; 50*, 500) or by an intake connector of the centrifugal pump; characterized in that the further treatment steps (c) and (d) are provided: the food product (c) is subjected to a third cooling in a housing cover of a pump housing of the centrifugal pump, which housing cover immediately adjoins the outlet pipe or the intake connector; (d) serves, with a part of its volume flow conveyed in an impeller of the centrifugal pump, which volume flow is configured to be open toward the housing cover of the centrifugal pump, for at least one planned flushing operation of the pump housing and of the impeller via a rear impeller gap which is provided between a housing rear wall of the centrifugal pump and the impeller, and via a front impeller gap which is provided between the housing cover and the impeller, wherein the volume flows of the planned flushing operations are up to several times greater than the inevitable equalization flows within the pump housing, which result from a hydraulically optimized design of the centrifugal pump with an in each case minimal rear and front impeller gap (s1 ∗, s2 ∗) which ensure the mechanical functionality of the centrifugal pump. (a) is subjected to a first cooling at least on the vessel floor (50.2) of the infuser vessel (50; 50*, 500) up to an outlet opening (50.3) located there; (b) is subjected to a second cooling in a tubular section (52, 76) immediately adjoining the outlet opening (50.3), which tubular section is formed either by an outlet pipe leading out of the infuser vessel (50; 50*, 500) or by an intake connector of the centrifugal pump; characterized in that the further treatment steps (c) and (d) are provided: the food product (c) is subjected to a third cooling in a housing cover of a pump housing of the centrifugal pump, which housing cover immediately adjoins the outlet pipe or the intake connector; (d) serves, with a part of its volume flow conveyed in an impeller of the centrifugal pump, which volume flow is configured to be open toward the housing cover of the centrifugal pump, for at least one planned flushing operation of the pump housing and of the impeller via a rear impeller gap which is provided between a housing rear wall of the centrifugal pump and the impeller, and via a front impeller gap which is provided between the housing cover and the impeller, wherein the volume flows of the planned flushing operations are up to several times greater than the inevitable equalization flows within the pump housing, which result from a hydraulically optimized design of the centrifugal pump with an in each case minimal rear and front impeller gap (s1 ∗, s2 ∗) which ensure the mechanical functionality of the centrifugal pump.