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Chemical Technology • September 2015
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From butterfly to chocolate –
the GEMÜ valve experience
C
hocolate was originally a bitter-sweet drink dating
back to the ‘tribes’ of Mexico and Guatemala such as
the Aztecs andMaya. They would pound cacao beans
and spices to make ‘Nahuatl’, the Aztec word for chocolate,
which was believed to be an aphrodisiac. It was only in
the 16th Century that Christopher Columbus stumbled
upon the cacao bean on his travels and brought it back to
Spain, where Spanish Friers introduced it to the Spanish
Court. Only after the Aztecs were conquered by the Spanish,
was the cacao imported into Spain and served as a drink.
Over time, various processes evolved for the grinding of
the cacao bean and various ingredients that were either
removed or included to produce the forerunner of what
we now know as the chocolate bar or sweet. The humble
chocolate has become a symbol of passion and love due to
its exotic history.
GEMÜ valves in the food processing
industry
Today’s chocolate-making processes hinge upon mass
production in ultra-sterile environments, withmanufacturing
equipment needing to meet United States Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) standards. GEMÜ Valves, of Germany,
is one of the few companies in the world that offers an FDA-
approved, white NBR liner in their Victoria range of butterfly
valves, which are approved for use in foodstuff applications.
The NBRwhite liner is used extensively in oily, greasy and fatty
applications and does not contaminate the content, thereby
making it perfect for use in the manufacture of chocolate.
Claudio Darpin, Managing Director at GEMÜ Valves Africa
said: “Our GEMÜ Victoria range of metal butterfly valves has
recently been installed in a local chocolate manufacturing
plant. Our unique valve liner meets FDA standards, mak-
ing it the most reliable and effective liner in our ranges of
butterfly valves aimed at the confectionary sector. Very few
valve suppliers can offer this speciality liner, and we are at
the forefront of this technology.”
“GEMÜ Valves Africa, via our Port Elizabeth-based distribu-
tor, Instruments4You, was selected to supply these special-
ised valves not only based on the quality of our product but
also the service and after-sales technical support that we
offer to our customers.
“One hundred and fifty GEMÜ Victoria butterfly valves,
varying in sizes from DN80 to DN 150, have been installed
at a chocolate manufacturing plant in the Eastern Cape,
most of them automated with pneumatic actuators. Due
to the Victoria Butterfly valve’s ability to withstand elevated
temperatures and various chemical environments such as
acid and alkaline conditions, as required in CIP operations, it
is the preferred choice of valve for environments of stringent
Front view bypass line, jacketed pipework
The Victoria range of metal butterfly
valves, especially the white NBR liner, is
used extensively in oily, greasy and fatty
applications such as the manufacture of
chocolate.