A method for pasteurizing a continuous product chain in a device having an inlet, heat-up, pasteurization, and cooling regions all divided into treatment zones, and a transporter for passing products through these regions includes heating up, pasteurizing, and cooling by heat transfer between the products and a spray medium with which the products are sprayed, for each of the treatment zones, adapting a temperature of the spray medium to cause a desired consequence to heat transfer in the treatment zone, and varying a pasteurization process by changing a volumetric flow rate of the spray medium in at least one treatment zone between a maximum value and a minimum value.
