The invention provides an apparatus (1000) for
heat treating a flowable food product (1), wherein the apparatus (1000) comprises a channel
system (200), a radiofrequency
treatment system (500), and a temperature holding
system (600), wherein: the channel
system (200) comprises a system channel (210); wherein the system channel (210) comprises RF heating channel parts (530), one or more
cooling channel parts (540), and a temperature holding channel part (630); the radiofrequency
treatment system (500) comprises an arrangement wherein at least a first RF heating channel part (531) is configured upstream of a first
cooling channel part (541), and wherein the first
cooling channel part (541) is configured upstream of a second RF heating channel part (532); wherein the radiofrequency
treatment system (500) is configured to (a) provide radiofrequency
waves to the flowable food product (1) in the RF heating channel parts (530) and (b) cool the flowable food product (1) in the one or more cooling channel parts (540), according to a temperature distribution wherein a temperature of the flowable food product (1) in a cooling channel part (540) downstream of a RF heating channel part (530) is lower than the temperature of the flowable food product (1) in the RF heating channel part (530) configured upstream of that cooling channel part (540), and wherein a temperature of the flowable food product (1) in a RF heating channel part (530) configured downstream of a set of a RF heating channel part (530) and a cooling channel part (540) is higher than of the flowable food product (1) in the RF heating channel part (530) of that set; the temperature holding system (600) is configured downstream of the radiofrequency treatment system (500) and is configured to maintain the flowable food product (1) in the temperature holding channel part (630) at a holding temperature Th6.