A method of sterilizing whole nuts comprising a. pre-cooking said nuts in a pre-cooking unit to a core temperature T1 at a pressure P1 for a time t1, wherein said core temperature T1 is in the temperature range between 55°C to 100°C; b. transferring said nuts to a sterilizing line, said sterilizing line configured to transport said nuts through a sequence of process devices, said sequence of process devices comprising a reservoir, at least one feed pump, a consecutive arrangement of heat exchangers (5,6,7), and a filling machine and/or an aseptic tank; wherein - said nuts are mixed 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; - said slurry-like mixture is pumped using said at least one feed pump through said consecutive arrangement of heat exchangers (5,6,7), wherein a first arrangement of heat exchangers heats said carrier liquid 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 to cool said slurry-like mixture to a storage temperature T3; and - said slurry-like mixture having said storage temperature T3 is pumped to said filling machine for filling, or to said aseptic tank to be held for later filling. a. pre-cooking said nuts in a pre-cooking unit to a core temperature T1 at a pressure P1 for a time t1, wherein said core temperature T1 is in the temperature range between 55°C to 100°C; b. transferring said nuts to a sterilizing line, said sterilizing line configured to transport said nuts through a sequence of process devices, said sequence of process devices comprising a reservoir, at least one feed pump, a consecutive arrangement of heat exchangers (5,6,7), and a filling machine and/or an aseptic tank; wherein - said nuts are mixed 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; - said slurry-like mixture is pumped using said at least one feed pump through said consecutive arrangement of heat exchangers (5,6,7), wherein a first arrangement of heat exchangers heats said carrier liquid 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 to cool said slurry-like mixture to a storage temperature T3; and - said slurry-like mixture having said storage temperature T3 is pumped to said filling machine for filling, or to said aseptic tank to be held for later filling. - said nuts are mixed 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; - said slurry-like mixture is pumped using said at least one feed pump through said consecutive arrangement of heat exchangers (5,6,7), wherein a first arrangement of heat exchangers heats said carrier liquid 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 to cool said slurry-like mixture to a storage temperature T3; and - said slurry-like mixture having said storage temperature T3 is pumped to said filling machine for filling, or to said aseptic tank to be held for later filling.