Abstract: A method for thermally treating a product in order to have the product obtain the desired product properties, comprising the following steps: (a) determining the water activity value which, for carrying out the thermal treatment, is required to have the product obtain the desired properties; (b) contacting the product with water vapour, at an increased temperature and an associated saturated vapour pressure (p*), while the temperature on the surface of the product is 80-260° C.; (c) setting a vapour pressure (p) in step (b) such that p/p* is equal to the water activity value determined in step (a); and (d) maintaining for a time duration (t) the process conditions mentioned in steps (b) and (c) for obtaining the product with the desired product properties.

Abstract: The invention relates to a continuous thermal process for treating a flow comprising coarse food particles and a transport fluid, wherein the food particles, moving freely and with a volume percentage of 20-60% based on the total flow, are passed, by means of the transport fluid, into a heat-up section and subsequently through a hold-warm section, wherein in the heat-up section the transport fluid is heated, under turbulent flow, to a temperature T1 of 65-150° C., after which the transport fluid in the hold-warm section is held at a temperature T2, with (T1-T2) being at most 20° C. The invention further relates to food particles obtainable with the process according to the invention.